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NHS England Deputy Chief Nursing Officer visits Care Trust

NHS England Deputy Chief Nursing Officer visits Care Trust

Staff from Care Trust meet senior leads from NHS England

The Children’s service at Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust was pleased to welcome NHS England and NHS Improvement’s Deputy Chief Nursing Officer, Duncan Burton, today at a celebration event for staff.

The deputy head of nursing attended the event for staff at the Care Trust who have completed a six-month long ‘reciprocal mentoring programme’, which aims to improve inclusivity for those from Black, Asian and ethnic minority (BAME) backgrounds and to help break down barriers they face at work.

Victoria Bagshaw, Regional Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professional Workforce Lead for NHS England, North East and Yorkshire also attended the event with programme facilitators Pamela Shaw, Lead Nurse for Workforce Resilience, and Sue Francis, Workforce Development Lead for Trauma-Informed Care, from the Care Trust who shared personal stories on why the training is so important.

The mentoring programme lasts for six months and involves BAME staff pairing up with senior leaders at the Care Trust, to mentor each other and learn from their experiences within the organisation. The aim is to improve cultural sensitivity, understand the barriers preventing inclusion and ultimately achieve equal opportunities for all. The professional and personal benefits of this programme are widely acknowledged, and it is part of the Trust’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion strategy.

During his visit, Duncan Burton spoke to those in attendance about the importance of the programme and the NHS’s national aim to address inequalities faced by those from BAME backgrounds. He then presented successful mentors with their certificates of achievement. Duncan had also previously attended a virtual session with the mentors to hear about their experiences of the programme.

Dawn Lee, Assistant General Manager for Children’s services, said: “We have been delighted to welcome Duncan Burton to the Trust for this occasion. It’s a wonderful opportunity for us to showcase the brilliant progress the programme is helping us make and the learning that has come from it. We’ve made changes in services to promote inclusivity and staff have learnt a lot from the honest conversations we have been able to have.

“We are on a mission to become a trauma-informed organisation, meaning we look after the emotional wellbeing of staff and strive to ensure everyone has equal opportunities, no matter what their background. We are proud to be offering this kind of training as it not only enables people in senior positions to learn from and understand issues, but both halves of each pair gain knowledge which will support their professional goals. It has been inspiring hearing from Duncan about his perspective and the wider national agenda for equality and inclusivity.”