As you know, we are fast approaching our Cultural Diversity Day on Thursday 21 September at AFC Telford and I look forward to seeing some of you there!

For those who have not yet registered, there are only a few more spaces remaining and the deadline for registration is Tuesday 19 September. Please do register as soon as you can, via the following link.

The event will be chaired by Simon Whitehouse, CEO of NHS Shropshire,Telford and Wrekin, and we are delighted to have two keynote speakers. The first speaker is Michelle Cox, a Registered General Nurse, who recently won a landmark tribunal against NHS England and successfully brought claims of race discrimination, harassment, victimisation, and whistleblowing. Michelle will share her experience, outline what needs to change to stop the escalation of such claims, the respective trauma this causes to individuals and reduce the negative impact on an organisation’s reputation. She will address how we should be challenging racism, creating a sense of caring and belonging for our staff, challenge leadership practices, and how we can put authentic inclusion into practice.

Also, at the event we will be hearing from Sue Gorbing and Sal Hampson from Safe Ageing No Discrimination (S.A.N.D) regarding challenges faced by the LGBT+ community.

Later, you will hear from me about our EDI challenges including key findings from the recently commissioned rural racism report, and our EDI journey so far. Alison Bussey, Chief Nursing Officer at NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, will also talk about our collective vision, forward view and action plan.

To add some light entertainment to proceedings, there will be a display of cultural activities including dancing, singing and drumming which I am really looking forward to. There will also be a marketplace, where stalls from our providers will be located, offering plenty of networking opportunities.

Overall, the event is packed with inspirational and thought-provoking items, along with a celebration of our diversity.

Please book early to avoid disappointment! If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact me via email.

I look forward to seeing you there.

Dr Priya George

Clinical Lead for EDI