Message from Dr Vivienne Lyfar-Cissé Dear Member First and foremost I would like to say a very big thank you to all the members who supported our joint BME conference with the Trust last Friday and to all the members who supported our celebratory dinner in the evening. Last Friday was an important day for us not only because it marked the 10th anniversary since the launch of the Network, but also because we launched the Race Equality Workforce Engagement Strategy, which provides an overview for how the Trust and the BME Network will engage to make race equality a reality in the future (see attached). The strategy will be updated to show how subcontractors such as Sodexo will be engaged and this is particularly important given the high proportion of BME staff that work for the organisation. The conference provided an opportunity for important discussions to take place between the Executive Directors/senior managers and BME staff. It is the fact that some of the discussions were uncomfortable for the senior managers, but necessary to enable meaningful engagement and progress to take place in the future. The conference also provided an opportunity for BME staff to share with their colleagues how racial discrimination has adversely impacted their lives and why things have to change. The feedback from the majority of delegates (with the exception of HCAs) is that the conference was a huge success and it is great to see so much hope for the future. We have made it clear that this is the last opportunity for BSUH to deliver on its statutory obligations in partnership with the BME Network and it is evident that this message has been understood. I take on-board the views expressed by the HCAs, however it is also the case that most HCAs have not played an active role in the Network to date. It is important that we make sure that your concerns are addressed and therefore if you are interested in becoming involved with the delivery of the engagement strategy please can you contact me as soon as possible. Finally, Matthew Kershaw has given his commitment as CEO to lead the engagement strategy from the top down and as Associate Director of Transformation I have agreed to lead on the engagement strategy from the bottom up. As lead I will endeavour to make sure that as members of the Network you feel included and have every opportunity to be involved in the transformation process. The time for action is now! Your Chair Vivienne
Posted on: Thu, 06 Nov 2014 14:48:07 +0000
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