Anti-racism action plan
Introduction
In 2022 NHS Providers made a public commitment to become an actively anti-racist organisation. We are striving to create an organisational culture where all our people feel safe, valued and can achieve their potential. We are also seeking to lead by example to support our members to make progress on race equality, and to use our profile and influence to make a difference in wider society.
Our anti-racism statement explains why we have embarked on this journey. It sets out the detail behind our five specific commitments to:
- Recognise that structural and systemic racism exists and is harmful, in particular to staff and patient outcomes.
- Acknowledge and understand the impact of racism and support ethnic minority staff who experience it.
- Act to redress racism and call out discrimination.
- Be transparent and accountable, and measure our progress and the impact we are having.
- Use our unique position to influence the NHS and the wider community at every opportunity.
Our anti-racism statement is underpinned by a cross-organisational race equality action plan, setting out the specific actions we are taking to translate our commitments into reality for each of our four strategic objectives – influence, voice, support and excellent organisation. All of this, together with our organisational values which include a commitment to inclusion, seeks to ensure that race equality is fully embedded in everything we do.
Holding ourselves to account
With feedback and challenge from staff, including our internal Racial Equality and Cultural Inclusion Group (RECI), the senior management team carry out a six-monthly review of our action plan commitments. We triangulate our review against information from our annual staff survey and ask specific questions in the annual member and stakeholder surveys on our progress towards becoming an anti-racist organisation. We report to a dedicated board sub-committee on race equality for detailed oversight and to the full board for discussion and approval.
Our latest report sets out our overall progress and a number of successes we have achieved against our initial 2023/24 race action plan priorities, as well as our challenges and learning.
Influence – We have incorporated a race equality focus into our influencing work across a range of policy areas including health inequalities, workforce, manager regulation and the Covid-19 inquiry. We want to do this in a more coordinated and impactful way in the year ahead.
Voice – We have made progress in taking a more proactive approach to ensure our outputs and media messaging reflect our anti-racist ambitions. The NHS Communicate conference and awards and the State of NHS Communications report focused on the theme of diversity with the report offering a benchmark of diversity in the profession and a clear set of recommendations which we are now taking forward.
Support – Alongside the launch and development of our dedicated member support programme on race equality, we have strengthened how we embed diversity as a thread through our wider support offer. We are starting to collect richer data and feedback from speakers and delegates to help us identify opportunities to bring a race lens to our existing programme content. Our data suggests we have diverse speakers and panelists at our conferences, larger events and webinars.
Excellent organisation – We have made progress in some key areas, including the roll out of inclusive leadership training to all line managers, work on our HR system to improve our data and the continued flourishing of our internal staff network, RECI.
Whilst we are keen to celebrate our successes, we want to acknowledge the challenges we have encountered, and areas where progress has been slow. Our first action plan was ambitious with a significant number of actions. On reflection, it has been important for us to streamline our priorities for 2024/25 so we can make more focused progress with the organisational resources we have. Across key areas, particularly our influencing work, measuring and understanding the impact of our actions has been harder to evidence.
Across all our strategic aims, we recognise the need to build in more capacity and headroom to ensure we maintain momentum. The report acknowledges that we need more accountability within teams for progressing actions.
We also need to keep under review the way teams and the organisation discuss and report on progress against our race action plan commitments, particularly how we create safer spaces and minimise the potential double burden on staff with lived experience.
Our race action plan for 2024/25 was drawn up with input from staff from across the organisation, including RECI, and reflects these learnings from our first year of work.
Our priorities for 2024/25
Influence
Action |
Outcome |
Metrics/KPIs |
|
Identify a set of specific policy changes/asks on race equality for 2024/25 that we can seek to influence on throughout the year (to include a PDT to develop the asks) |
Race equality becomes increasingly integral to our core policy messaging across a range of portfolios
Clear messages are heard consistently by key stakeholders and feature in both member and external comms
NHS Providers understood by members and stakeholders to be authoritative, consistent and committed on race equality |
Race equality policy asks are present and prioritised in quarterly portfolio workplans and/or influencing priorities
Race equality messages discussed in meetings with senior stakeholders, evidenced through Saffron briefings and meeting readouts
(stretch) Race equality related influencing wins |
|
Build and strengthen stakeholder relationships with relevant organisations |
A set of organisations is identified with an interest and influence in race equality in the NHS
We have a sustained dialogue with those organisations where we can exchange insights and inform our influencing, support and media work
Those organisations are embedded in our strategic stakeholder review process to ensure regular review of the status of our relationships and adjustment of our approach, including refreshing those relevant organisations, as necessary |
At least quarterly senior-level meetings with at least two relevant organisations
Ongoing engagement evidenced, for example, through joint working, Providers Discover sessions, seeking and providing input to each other’s work, event / speaker invitations
Inclusion within our annual stakeholder research |
|
All members of the policy team to have a SMART objective on race equality, aligned with our organisational anti-racism commitment |
Every team member has a clear contribution to make to NHSP becoming an anti-racist organisation that is relevant to their role
Individuals are accountable for their contribution to the organisation becoming anti-racist |
All team members (outside of the probation period) have an agreed SMART objective that makes a positive difference to race equality
SMART objectives are met/good progress made by the end of the year |
Voice
Action |
Outcome |
Metrics/KPIs |
|
As a directorate: Proactively explore and work with partners to strengthen diversity at all levels of NHS communications and marketing through equality task force and competency framework with explicit commitment to target and support colleagues from ethnic minority backgrounds
|
Task force to develop set of agreed actions to support increased diversity in NHS communications profession, developing evidence base of progress at different levels of seniority |
Progress benchmarked in future State of NHS Communications reports, and 6-monthly progress checks
|
|
Comms and marketing: All marketing and comms channels to support and promote racially diverse report and blog authors/event panels/speakers/delegates |
Working with colleagues in other teams to ensure more diverse contributions to our activities, events and outputs |
Note examples of comms and marketing above, with ongoing reflections on lessons learned/applied, summarised in six monthly update |
|
Digital: Ensure podcast programme regularly features staff and guests from diverse racial backgrounds and proactively focuses on race equality issues |
More diverse voices on podcast reflecting greater range of experiences and perspectives |
Six-monthly audit to assess diversity of presenters, content and contributors featured. No "target" but benchmark to monitor progress |
|
Media: Take a proactive approach to ensure race inequality and issues particularly pertinent to ethnic minority groups are appropriately highlighted in press releases, comments
|
A record of commentary that reflects our anti racist goals both reactively and proactively |
Six-monthly audit to assess diversity of presenters, content and contributors featured. No "target" but benchmark to monitor progress |
|
Stretch area: Explore ways to convey our race equality commitments more prominently and meaningfully as part of our website redevelopment programme. First step: consider options with new partner agency. |
To be determined once this has been further scoped |
|
Support
Action |
Outcome |
Metrics/KPIs |
|
Consistently embed a focus on race equality into all of our programme content by:
|
Content that reflects our anti-racist commitments is embedded throughout our programmes and support offers |
Evidence that race equality is considered at the start of projects and throughout; Evidence in bids and proposals of discussing race equality with suppliers and funders; evidence that our course content reflects our anti-racist ambitions; evidence of how we have responded to feedback |
|
Grow and diversify our pool of associate trainers, facilitators and chairs and ensure their practice reflects our commitment to anti racism by:
|
A diverse pool of associate trainers, facilitators and chairs that reflect our anti-racist commitments in their work for us |
Evidence from delegate feedback demonstrates our commitment to inclusive facilitation Evidence of an increase in the diversity of the pool of associate trainers, facilitators and chairs |
Excellent organisation
Action |
Outcome |
Metrics/KPIs |
|
Ensure RECI has appropriate organisational support, a strong two-way dialogue with the senior management team and that all staff are aware of the safe space provided by the group |
RECI continues to develop, with members of the group sufficiently supported, links to SMT well-established, and staff aware of the safe space the group provides |
Positive feedback from RECI and via staff survey regarding awareness of the safe space provided and members feeling supported |
|
Ensure trustees have an annual opportunity to reflect on progress – both as a board and as individuals
|
Trustees are able to support and provide challenge on our progress towards becoming an anti-racist organisation |
Evidence of trustees providing steer and challenge on our progress |
|
Make resources available and ensure staff are encouraged and enabled to set aside time for self-learning and reflection (eg convening reflective practice groups on privilege and allyship, building on learning from inclusive leadership training, exploring active bystander training) |
Staff feel more confident in proactively and authentically demonstrating their commitment to our anti-racist ambitions, including white staff feeling confident in what it means to be an active anti-racist and white ally |
Annual staff survey, feedback from RECI, staff 1-2-1s and performance management discussions demonstrate improvements in the experience of ethnic minority staff members and increased confidence across the organisation in talking about race and ethnicity, and calling out/challenging discrimination |
|
Review directorate L&D plans to ensure equitable access to development opportunities across the organisation
|
There is equitable access to learning and development opportunities and progress towards our goal of ensuring the diversity of our senior management team matches the diversity of our staff team |
Data demonstrates equity in accessing L&D
Evidence of proactive work to build our talent pipeline for senior roles
|
|
Every member of SMT to have a SMART objective on race equality, aligned with our organisational anti-racism commitment |
Every SMT member has a clear contribution to make to NHSP becoming an anti-racist organisation that is relevant to their role or personal journey
There is collective responsibility for becoming an anti-racist organisation
Individuals are accountable for their contribution to the organisation becoming anti-racist |
All SMT members (outside of the probation period) have an agreed SMART objective that makes a positive difference to race equality internally or in the NHS
SMART objectives are met/good progress made by the end of the year
Evidence of progress via annual staff survey, member and stakeholder surveys, feedback from RECI, staff 1-2-1s and appraisal review feedback |
|
Review staff survey and HR reporting data to inform actions addressing issues of race and wider inequalities, with plans agreed with SMT to take actions forward
|
All staff have confidence that feedback on equality concerns is being appropriately addressed
A culture in which all our people feel safe, valued and supported
|
Evidence of reviewing staff survey and HR reporting data and using it to inform next steps
Annual staff survey, feedback from RECI, staff 1-2-1s and performance management discussions demonstrate improvements in the experience of ethnic minority staff members and increased confidence across the organisation in talking about race and ethnicity, and calling out/challenging discrimination
Snap surveys targeted at ethnic minority staff
|
|
Through the HR system, develop our existing EDI dashboard and build reporting structures to provide effective people data to inform decision making and actions
|
Managers are equipped with improved data to support their decision-making on issues relating to race equality |
Up to date EDI dashboard in place
Latest data incorporated into existing SMT quarterly HR review and benchmarked against national and sector data
Evidence of actions taken in response to the key insights
|
|
When reviewing HR policies and procedures, ensure they are equality impact assessed and fully consulted upon with staff groups including RECI
|
Our policies and procedures both reflect and support our commitment to a working environment where all staff can thrive
|
Evidence that any policy we review has been equality impact assessed and internally communicated to staff
|
|
Improve the induction of new starters on our race equality work incorporating RECI and existing groups |
All new staff understand our commitment to becoming an anti-racist organisation and what this means in practice
|
Refreshed induction arrangements in place
Annual staff survey
Update probation forms to include a question on staff groups including RECI
|
|
Ensure our organisational development work (e.g. on a competency framework) reflects our commitment to equity and transparency |
We have fair and transparent processes in line with business need |
Evidence from staff feedback (including in the staff survey) that processes are fair and transparent
|