In a ground breaking initiative, on the 27th November the President of BAPIO, Dr Ramesh Mehta and the CEO of UHMB Ms Jackie Daniel signed a partnership agreement during a conference titled, ‘Towards Inclusion’, jointly hosted with BAPIO.
The first of its kind in the UK, the partnership will help the Trust realise its ambition of becoming truly inclusive by creating a culture in its hospitals that recognises, respects, and values diversity for the benefits of staff, patients, and local communities. BAPIO has joined hands with Leicester University and NHS BME Network to provide this support.
Jackie Daniel, Chief Executive, said: “The first principle of the NHS Constitution is to be truly inclusive in service provision, so I am really proud that we have been able to sign a formal agreement with BAPIO. This partnership will help us to further change our culture to one that truly recognises the importance of a diverse workforce and the benefits having one brings to us as a Trust, but also, the wider communities.
Dr Mehta said: “I am delighted that UHMBT is taking commendable steps to support the equality and diversity agenda. This partnership with BAPIO will assist in the development of cultural sensitivity amongst staff, and in turn improve staff morale and ultimately patient care.”
The agreement will see the Trust and BAPIO work together to develop internal staff networks for protected characteristic groups, including a Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) network, open to all BME staff from all occupational groups and disciplines.
Mr Shyam Kumar, Chair of the BAPIO UHMB Unit said “I am proud that we are part of this exceptional work. We have an excellent team in the trust and we are committed to work with the trust to create an environment to provide best patient care”.