NHS Employers joins as a sponsor for National Inclusion Week 2023

We’re excited to announce that NHS Employers has partnered with us for this year’s National Inclusion Week.

In this interview, you will find out a bit more about inclusion at NHS Employers and what has made them become a sponsor for this year’s National Inclusion Week.

Read on to learn more.

1. Can you tell us about NHS Employers’ inclusion journey?

NHS Employers is the employers’ organisation for the NHS in England. We support workforce leaders and represent employers to develop a sustainable workforce and be the best employers they can be. We also manage the relationships with NHS trade unions on behalf of the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.

We are part of the NHS Confederation and it’s wider equality, diversity and inclusion programme. EDI is a key strategic function that contributes to increased productivity, safety, quality improvement and financial savings.

The NHS employs 1.5million staff and is one of the largest employers worldwide. The change that we drive in the NHS is change that impacts our country, our people and can tackle health inequalities across communities. We support organisations in achieving the six high impact actions within the NHS Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Plan and to create the sense of belonging that is a key facet of the NHS Workforce Plan.

We run a number of EDI campaigns and activities throughout the year. One of our most successful programmes is our Diversity in Health and Care Partners Programme. It supports health and care organisations to create inclusive workplace cultures where uniqueness of beliefs, backgrounds and ways of living are welcomed and celebrated. The programme has supported more than 300 organisations over the last decade, making change happen by working with EDI practitioners, encouraging collaborative working, and sharing innovation and best practice.

Another key piece of work is around supporting disabled colleagues in the workplace in line with the NHS Workforce Disability Equality Standard. This is centred around improving staff experience in the workplace. We host an annual Disability Summit which provides a platform to share some of the challenges disabled people face in the workplace and also showcase good practice. We also develop guidance and host a number of webinars on topics such as making reasonable adjustments and inclusive recruitment. Ultimately, we want to make the NHS a place where disabled people can flourish in their roles.

We also work closely with our three EDI leadership networks run by the NHS Confederation. These are the Health and Care Women Leaders Network, Health and Care LGBTQ+ Leaders Network and the BME Leadership Network. They aim to strengthen the voice of their members, providing a national platform to connect and a unique place to learn and gain insight.

2. Why have NHS Employers chosen to sponsor National Inclusion Week 2023?

The theme of National Inclusion Week 2023 “Take Action, Make Impact” resonates closely with our work. We firmly believe that real impact can only happen with real actions, and not just words. To create true impact, we believe in the power of voice. Empowering colleagues, organisations and people more generally to speak up, speak openly and share their experiences to allow us to create meaningful actions to drive change. Having run for eleven years, National Inclusion Week has provided a vital platform for these voices to be heard, across the United Kingdom and throughout a variety of employers. We believe it’s time for the NHS voices to join this movement and create impact.