Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust has started the formal process of becoming officially recognised by national LGBT+ rights charity Stonewall as a ‘Diversity Champion’.
The Trust’s LGBT+ Network chair Simon Pearson met with Stonewall Scotland Programmes Officer Phillippa Scrafton to start the Diversity Champion registration process at the end of 2018.
NTW is joining over 700 Diversity Champions across the UK, including NHS and other public sector organisations in this region such as the North East Ambulance Service, Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue service and Northumbria Police.
I’m delighted that this Trust is now a Stonewall Diversity Champion, thus demonstrating our commitment at all levels to LGBT+ rights. This step only represents the first stage on our journey though, and I’m looking forward to the process of assessing in detail our current activities in relation to Stonewall’s Workplace Equality Index to further enhance our provision for LGBT+ employees and cement our commitment.
Simon PearsonChair of NTW’s LGBT+ Network
It’s fantastic that Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust has come on board as a Stonewall Diversity Champion. We are already aware of the strength of this Trust’s commitment to LGBT+ rights, and are looking forward to working alongside NTW offering support and advice to develop even further.
Phillippa ScraftonProgrammes Officer at Stonewall
Founded in 1989, Stonewall campaigns for the equality of lesbian, gay, bi and trans people across Britain. Stonewall’s Diversity Champion accreditation recognises employers in the UK which make a prominent commitment to ending discrimination in the workplace and improving the lives of LGBT+ people both in work and in the wider community.
The scheme aims to embed recognition of equality and diversity regardless of people’s protected characteristics, ensuring both that NTW treats its employees the same regardless of their gender or sexuality, and that the Trust is representative of the wider community it serves.
As part of their Diversity Champion commitment NTW is preparing to submit an application to Stonewall’s Workplace Equality Index (WEI), a national benchmarking tool to evaluate what UK workplaces do to support their LGBT+ staff.
The WEI benchmarking process will include a detailed assessment of NTW’s policies and benefits, recruitment and CPD policies, internal and external communications, and the attitude of senior leadership in relation to LGBT+ rights.
The Trust will also be assessed on how well it monitors its employees’ equality and diversity, how NTW is demonstrating its commitment to LGBT+ equality in the wider community through activities such as social media outreach and attendance at community events.
NTW now offers free LGBT+ awareness training sessions for all its staff – employees can log in to their employee dashboard and electronic staff record (ESR) to view course dates and book onto a session.
More information about NTW’s LGBT+ network is available at www.ntw.nhs.uk/lgbt – you can also email the network at [email protected] or follow @LGBT_CNTW on Twitter.