Health professionals from East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust are asking patients and the local community to join in their message of inclusivity and firm opposition to discrimination, as they unveil their new ‘Inclusion Wall’ this week.
The montage of photos and statements displayed at the Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital site showcases the diversity of colleagues across the Trust and their views on what inclusion means to them.
Alongside the display, the overarching statement from the Trust is clear: “We are proud that our #ELHTFamily is made up of colleagues with such diverse backgrounds, experiences and beliefs as this ensures that we are able to provide Safe, Personal and Effective care to all across our communities.”
It continues: “Please take a moment to read some of our colleagues’ stories about what inclusion means to them. We are ELHT – everyone is welcome here, everyone belongs.”
Colleagues from across the Trust came together to make the pledge, including a Medical Director, Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, Administration Assistant, Consultant, Midwife and many more.
Some statements include: “Diversity and inclusion for me is about empowering people by respecting and appreciating what makes them who they are as an individual.”
Another says: “In life’s journey we are all faced with experiences which shape and define who we are. Everyone matters, everyone is beautiful and everyone is on a journey.”
The montage was unveiled during the Trust’s Festival of Inclusion week, an annual week where colleagues come together to celebrate the work done to create a fairer and more inclusive ELHT. As well as the Inclusion wall there were also talks from keynote speakers from organisations such as Euro Garages and discussions on mental health and disability and how it is viewed across the Trust.
Kate Quinn, Operational Director of HR and OD at the Trust, said: “Inclusion is incredibly important to me. Nobody should feel excluded from any aspect of life and often this is because we hold views and perceptions that are rooted in fear of anyone or anything different to ourselves. I want to always seek to understand and be interested in different backgrounds, experiences and views as for me this breaks down those misconceptions and builds relationships which is better for us as colleagues and the patients we serve.”
“I’m really excited we have unveiled our Inclusion wall and hopefully it will encourage colleagues and also patients across the Trust to take a moment to reflect on what diversity and inclusion means to them and how we can mirror these views across our Trust and our community.”
