We have held our inaugural Inclusion and Belonging Conference.
Over 200 colleagues gathered at Preston Grasshoppers on Wednesday 21 June to celebrate the improvements and progress made at our Trust and how we can work together to continue to create a culture of inclusion and belonging.
A guest panel took questions from the floor and members of staff were encouraged to ask uncomfortable questions in order to improve their understanding of inclusivity and some of the challenges our colleagues, service users and communities face.
The panellists included: Paul Deemer from NHS England, Naz Zaman from Lancashire BME Network, Mel Close from Disability Equality North West, Dr Lewis Tuner from Lancashire LGBT, David Knight from UCLan, Sally Wall, Counsellor and LGBTQ+ staff network Co-Chair, Andy Pratt from Lancashire Forum of Faiths and Hasan Sidat, Senior Operational Manager for Recovery and Resilience, LSCft.
Colleagues also bravely shared their very personal stories of not feeling like they belong, including our chief executive, Chris Oliver, who opened up about coming out as gay later in life and how his experience ignited his passion for empowering everyone to bring their whole selves to work.
Other highlights included a review of our We Do More recruitment campaign - which has already resulted in an 11% rise in people from diverse communities applying for jobs and performances by award-winning Dance Syndrome - an inclusive dance charity based in Lancashire with a special focus on including everyone, regardless of ability.
The event was organised by the our Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Team.
Rob Cragg, Chief People Officer for Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust, said:
“Inclusion is very important at LSCft. We are working hard to ensure our workforce reflects the diversity within Lancashire and South Cumbria and that our services meet the needs of our local communities. We know we have room for improvement and we are on a journey to ensuring that we are a truly inclusive employer and that our staff and service users have a real sense of belonging, without feeling they have to mask who they really are.
The Inclusion and Belonging Conference has been a significant milestone in that journey and it has been fabulous to see so many colleagues come together with a shared mission. The event was actually oversubscribed, which is testament to how our colleagues feel about this issue. We promise we’ll be back bigger and better next year!”
