The Trust is committed to embedding Equality and Diversity into its day to day business including:
Policies and strategies
Equality Impact Assessments are undertaken on all appropriate policies, strategies, procurement and service and organisational proposals.
Training and Internships
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Equality and Diversity is included in the Trust’s induction programme, the mandatory update programme, HCA and preceptorship training and F1 and F2 Doctors training, along with a dedicated Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Recruitment class for all recruiting managers.
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As of March 2021, Project SEARCH has supported 98 interns across 61 departments within the Trust. 65% of these interns have then gained paid employment, with 35 of them working for the Trust. Find out more about our suppported internships, Project SEARCH
Support
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NHS Health Passport was launched across UHP to support colleagues with a disability as they move through their roles within the NHS, allowing individuals to easily record information about their condition and support conversations with line managers around their difficulties and reasonable adjustments for their role.
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Launch of the Rainbow Badge in October 2019 to support both LGBT+ colleagues and patients. Since October 2019, we have received in excess of over 1800 pledges from colleagues to show their commitment to inclusion and the badge is a visible representation of this.
Staff networks and Support Groups
Establishing five Staff Networks and a number of Support Groups to discuss issues that affect colleagues who identify with one or more protected characteristics
- Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Staff Network (BAME)
- Disability and Wellbeing Network (DAWN)
- Faiths and Beliefs (FaB)
- Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, The "plus" represents other sexual and gender identities (LGBT+)
- Women's Network
Support Groups:
- Men's Conversation Group
- Deaf and Hard of Hearing Support Group
- Neurodiversity Support Network
- Diabetes Support Group
- Support Group for colleagues under going fertility treatment/IVF
Our networks enable us to better understand their lived experience and the issues they face in the workplace and to bridge the gap in experience between colleagues who do not identify with a protected characteristic. We are working in partnership with all our networks to review our position including our workforce equality standards, gender pay gap, EDS2 and to work together to co-create and develop actions that will make the biggest and most positive difference.
Alongside this we are actively fostering good relationships within colleagues in the Trust and external organisations. We want to encourage and welcome input into how we achieve our aim and uncover our blind spots. Each of our five networks has a dedicated Executive Champion who allow us a direct link to the board who are committed to ensuring we create and maintain a hospital that is inclusive for patients and colleagues.
We launched a Men's Conversation Group, which acts as a place where we warmly encourage men to talk openly about issues which are important to them, such as mental health, male specific conditions/diseases, the pandemic, working in a predominantly female environment and more. We want to get a better understanding of how we can better support men and encourage them to engage and to talk about the pressures and issues affecting them.
Charters and accreditations
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UHP has signed the Charter for Employers who are Positive about Mental Health
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UHP is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader under the UK Government’s Disability Confident Scheme, a national accreditation scheme which complements the work we do to attract, recruit and retain colleagues with a disability, including those with long-term health conditions. Find out more about our Disability Confident Leader accreditation.
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UHP has signed a pledge for the Armed Forces Convenant, a promise from the nation to those who serve or who have served, and their families, which says we will do all we can to ensure they are treated fairly and not disadvantaged in their day-to-day lives. The Armed Forces Covenant relies on the people, communities, and businesses of the UK to actively support it in order to make a difference. UHP is dedicated to supporting the AFC for Patients and Staff. Armed Forces Network
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UHP has been accredited as exemplars of the best care for veterans, helping to drive improvements in NHS care for people who serve or have served in the UK armed forces and their families. Veteran Aware trusts are leading the way in improving veterans’ care within the NHS, as part of the Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance (VCHA).
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UHP supports LGBT+ Veterans with Fighting with Pride (FWP), a new military charity, created on the 20th anniversity of the complete lifting of the ban on LGBT+Service. UHP works with veteran supporting organisations to build capacity for LGBT+ Veteran support, to recognise their service and help resolve challenges they face in their lives beyond military service.
Contact Us
If you have any comments or suggestions about our services, let us know.
Jenny Birchall, Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, Level 2, Brittany House, Brest Rd, Plymouth, PL6 5YE
01752 437042
University Hospitals Plymouth (UHP) NHS Trust is committed to creating a fully inclusive and accessible service.
