From Surviving to Thriving -Taking responsibility for inclusion and diversity in nursing and midwifery
Originally published by Bev Matthews – 12th April 2019
Transforming Perceptions of Nursing and Midwifery is important for each and every one of us, and some areas require special focus. Black and Asian Minority Ethnic (BAME) groups are one such area.
Nursing and Midwifery professions are attracting increasingly more people from BAME heritage that at any previous time. There are however significantly less BAME staff in senior leadership roles, increased attrition during training and high number about to retire from the profession.
In January this year The Model Employer was published. It’s a document that is reflected in the Long Term Plan and outlines the ambitions of both NHS England and NHS Improvement, for each NHS organisation to set its own target for BME representation across its leadership team and broader workforce. The strategy will provide accelerated, intensive support to local NHS organisations on supporting the recruitment of BAME staff at senior levels.
In response to this ambition we are facilitating a nursing and midwifery focused event to put in place some foundation stones to support the full implementation by 2028. The event will be held on 14 June, in Wolverhampton. Book your place here.
The event aims to:
- Create the conditions for BAME workforce to thrive rather than survive from student training to retirement through provision of a good educational experience
- Support BAME workforce to grow and develop within the NHS with access to the career paths for progression
- Understand what the data is telling us and where to prioritise the focus of future work
- Enhance the perceptions of people with following groups:
- Young people and their influencers (e.g parents and careers advisors) to support children from BAME heritage to see nursing as a first choice graduate career option with diverse opportunities
- Current nurses, creating a nationwide community of ambassadors, and to develop change skills, confidence and connections as emerging leaders
- Decision makers to include BAME nurses in strategy and commissioning.
Who should attend?
The intention is to create a safe event for open, transparent and courageous conversations, whilst being inclusive for all and representing diversity of gender, age and heritage, as well as representative across the health and care system.
This includes:
- Current workforce
- Student nurses and midwives
- University lecturers
- Nursing Associates
- Newly Registered staff
- Provider organisation representatives
- Midwifery
- Community staff
- Mental Health teams
- TB Nurses
- General Practice teams
- Social Care teams
- Executive Team representatives:
- Nursing Directorate leads
What will happen during the event?
This day will be fast paced, intensive and inclusive covering in one day what would take three months using conventional methods. We will build a strong sense of shared purpose during the day and design the future that we want to see using a variety of collaboration methods.
Where and when is the event?
Friday 14th June 2019, 9.30am – 4pm at Wolverhampton Racecourse, Dunstall Park, Wolverhampton, West Midlands, WV6 0PE
Sign up now and be a part of the solution.
The NHS workforce as a whole is now more diverse than at any time in its 70 year history, yet at the most senior levels, the leadership of organisations do not reflect the workforce. Evidence shows that tackling workforce race inequality improves staff experience, patient outcomes and organisational efficiency. Our staff should look at their leaders and see themselves represented, and our patients deserve the same. The Model Employer January 2019