NTHNHS | Health and Wellbeing Magazine - Issue 2, December 2021

SPOTLIGHT:

Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority (BAME) Network

When was the group established:

July 2021

Name of group leader:

Sushil Munakhya, BAME network chair person

How often does the group meet:

Once a month

What made you want to become involved in the group:

I have been working as a Black Members Equality Officer for UNISON as a representative for members in our Trust.

I had the chance to get involved with the network, I took the opportunity to support my BAME colleagues.

What are the aims of the group:

Our main aim is to provide a forum for ethnic minority staff, debate any issues affecting staff and to provide support for one another. Our current key objectives for the group are to advance leadership within BAME staff to increase diversity of senior positions throughout the Trust and to ensure a transparent and fair recruitment process.

We would ultimately like to raise the visibility and profile of our BAME colleagues’ contributions to our workplace and community.

In addition, we are reflecting on the staff survey in line with the NHS Workforce Race Equality Standard to understand discrimination, bullying and harassment. By doing this, we can work towards reducing the number of racial issues in our Trust.

What has the group managed to achieve so far:

We have developed an action plan and are currently working towards achieving our ultimate goals.

We have undertaken training on the issue of unconscious bias and hope to roll this out to managers across the organisation in the near future. We are also organising a programme to raise awareness on workplace bullying.

We are looking to implement Cultural Ambassadors Trust-wide who can be part of formal investigations of racial discrimination within the Trust and act as mentors in training our colleagues to ultimately reduce the number of staff who feel they have experienced discrimination at work.

Who can join the group:

Membership is open to all staff from a BAME heritage. We are an inclusive group and use the broadest terminology of BAME for our membership.

How does the group help support staff health and wellbeing:

We have an open forum for staff to discuss any issues affecting them.

If staff would like to discuss anything privately, they are very welcome to get in touch with me. If I can’t help, I can signpost them in the right direction to make sure their issue is resolved correctly and efficiently.

Contact information:

s.munakhya@nhs.net or nth-tr.bamestaffnetwork@nhs.net