Energy, excitement and emotion at the first South East London ICS EDI Conference & Awards
The first South East London ICS Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (SEL ICS EDI) Conference and Awards were held on 4 March. It was an energetic and at times deeply moving event, celebrating the outstanding efforts of colleagues at a local level, and highlighting the importance of EDI to our patients, staff and health and care organisations in south east London.
The theme of the event was Empowering our EDI community, and brought together leaders and colleagues from across the system, insightful EDI experts and – in the judges’ words – some exceptional finalists.
Emphasising why EDI is so important in her opening remarks, Rachel Evans, Chief People and Strategy Officer at Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust, and Chair of the SEL ICS EDI Committee, said getting EDI right is not just morally the correct thing to do, it supercharges our organisations by improving performance and retention rates; reducing staff turnover and reliance on agency staff.
Keynote speaker, NHS South East London Chief Executive, Andrew Bland, spoke about the health inequalities in our region, and stressed how vital it was to embed EDI in everything we do – treating staff well to treat patients well.
Roger Kline OBE, Research Fellow at Middlesex University Business School, the first of two EDI expert speakers, further explored the evidence supporting the necessity of effective EDI and summarised this with an impactful message: in today’s world, EDI is not an optional extra for the NHS. His presentation demonstrated how discrimination not only undermines staff and organisational effectiveness, but also negatively impacts the quality of patient care.
The awards ceremony was hosted by Cherron Inko Tariah MBE, an EDI expert, author, consultant, editor and facilitator. In an energetic and engaging session, Cherron noted the increasingly hostile environment for EDI, but encouraged attendees to continue their important work in the face of this, in the knowledge that they are not alone in their passion for driving positive change.
Another highlight of the conference was the System Leaders’ Panel Discussion, facilitated by Bernadette Thompson OBE, Director of EDI, King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. Members of the panel shared some both their professional and personal experiences of embedding EDI work from the top down. SEL ICS Chief of Staff, Tosca Fairchild, spoke movingly about her first experiences as a senior leader in the NHS, and the impact and importance of not only allyship but proactive mentoring, sponsorship and support from the very top of our organisations.
Awards were handed out in a range of different categories, showcasing the breadth of EDI work embedded throughout south east London. The judges stressed the exceptional quality of the entries and nominations, and the difficulty of choosing winners. Many congratulations to our winners, those who were Highly Commended and all our finalists – a full list of these is set out below. Huge thanks to members of the event working group – drawn from the SEL ICS Inclusion Collective, and colleagues from the SEL ICS People Programme who led organisation of the event.
SEL ICS EDI Conference and Awards – Winners, Highly Commended and Finalists
Innovation in EDI
- WINNER: Sickle Cell Support Project
Led by the Cost of Living Team, Lambeth Council - Highly Commended: HIV Re-engagement Project
Led by HIV teams at Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and Kings College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Finalists:
- Pain: Equality of Care and Support In the Community (PEACS)
King’s Health Partners - Fertility Preservation Service
Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust
Community Impact in EDI
- WINNER: Christina Brown
Motivational Mums Club - Highly Commended: SE London Enhanced Sickle Cell Community Care Team
SE London Integrated Care Board
Finalists:
- Kylie Nadon
King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust - Health Inclusion Homeless Service
Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust
Rising Star in EDI
- WINNER: Donya Gaye
Bromley Healthcare - Highly Commended: Meaghan Hackett
King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Finalists:
- Shivonne Simpson
King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust - Louis French
South East London Integrated Care Board
Inspirational Inclusive Leader
- WINNER: Dr Khurram Sadiq
Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust - Highly Commended: Juliet Amoa
Lambeth Council
Finalists:
- Maya Asir
Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust - Halima Dagia
SE London Integrated Care Board - Ras Kahai
Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust
Staff Network of the Year
- WINNER: Essentia IDEA Staff Network and Working Group
Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust - Highly Commended: King’s and Queers
King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Finalists:
- DAWN (Disability and Wellness Network)
Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust - GSTT LGBT+ Staff Network
Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust
Inclusive Team of the Year
- WINNER: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Team
Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust - Highly Commended: Community and Business Development Team
Royal Borough of Greenwich
Finalists:
- Transforming Care in Autism (TCA)
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust - Heart, Lung and Critical Care Research Development Team
Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust