BME trailblazers in the NHS
Equality, diversity & human rights: BME trailblazer series
Raj Jain Celebrating the 65th anniversary of the NHS
On 5 July 2013, the NHS will celebrate its 65th birthday. The NHS is the single largest employer of black and minority ethnic (BME) people in England and has been heavily dependent upon the services of professionals from all parts of the globe since its inception. In the run up to this significant event, the NHS Employers organisation is profiling a number of leading BME individuals, all of whom are trailblazers – pioneers, leaders and experts in their respective fields of healthcare. Together, they have blazed a trail, inspiring future generations, and helped to shape and influence developments in clinical and management practice during the last 65 years. We hope you will join us in saluting the achievements of these exceptional individuals. Raj Jain Raj Jain is a man with big ambitions for NHS services and the tenacity to see them through. Moving swiftly from HR and management roles to his current role as chief executive officer of Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital, he believes the key ingredients for success at this level are “compassion and a drive for excellence and hard work”. His approach is certainly seeing results. Last year the hospital became the Health Service Journal’s Provider of the Year – Raj calls it “the Oscar of the hospital world” – which he sees as a testament to the organisation’s focus on patient and family care. Passionate about leaving a legacy, he says he wanted to work in senior roles so that he could make a difference to people’s lives and now believes his role is to provide inspiration and the will in the organisation to get things done.
Born in Preston to Indian-born parents, Raj grew up with two brothers and two sisters. The North West was the backdrop to race riots in the early 1980s, such as those in Toxteth and Moss Side. While he says he has experienced racism in the past, Raj believes that coming from a “Raj joined the NHS with a wealth of historical experience and immediately put it to good use with the passion and drive to make things happen. His portfolio is nothing short of impressive but just as importantly he is a nice guy who is incredibly well regarded. He continues to build on his existing knowledge using his strong interpersonal skills to further cement his legacy.” Dean Royles, Chief Executive Officer, NHS Employers
Did you know? 1. When Raj was younger his family owned an Ice cream shop. 2. Raj was the first person in his family to go to University 3. When growing up, Raj dreamt of playing football for Liverpool FC. minority background has helped him to understand people better, as well as giving him resilience. Before working for the NHS, Raj worked in HR at British Gas for ten years, where he was able to access a host of opportunities for training and development. He was drawn to the NHS because of its focus on helping people but when he first joined in the mid 1990s he was initially taken aback by the lack of investment made in management. A big advocate of continuing professional development (CPD) Raj has amassed several qualifications over the years including a degree at Liverpool University and a postgraduate degree in management from Manchester University. Currently he is taking part in the International Health and Social Care Leadership Programme at Yale University.
Published April 2013. © NHS Employers 2013.
His resolve to continually learn and develop was such that, when the NHS could not fund the Yale course, he lobbied to get funding from elsewhere. He offers this piece of advice: “What I would urge people as a key message from me would be ‘if you don’t ask, you don’t get!’ Don’t wait for it to come to you. You have to bash on people’s doors...You’ll get lots of nos but eventually you’ll get a yes.” He believes there is untapped talent, particularly among the BME community, so he actively encourages more BME people to apply for senior NHS roles. He maintains that “mentoring and coaching by existing senior leaders is really critical if we are to change things”. He is determined not to leave this position without supporting more people from BME backgrounds into senior jobs. His work and enthusiasm has inspired his two daughters to follow a career in healthcare, both in clinical roles. Raj feels that there are lots of challenges for the NHS in general so it’s really important that ‘”we have leaders with ambition, who can paint compelling pictures of the future that our staff can work towards”. Outside of work, Raj likes to keep himself fit. He has recently run a half marathon and enjoys cycling.
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