Publish date: 27 September 2022
Engagement and Inclusion Lead Rexie Akwei celebrates disability inclusion recognition for Northumbria Healthcare as part of National Inclusion Week
My name is Rexie and I am the Engagement and Inclusion Lead at Northumbria Healthcare. My role involves engaging with staff to grow a culture of inclusion in the organisation. I support members and chairs of our 10 staff networks to achieve the goals they set themselves to make our workplace the place we all want it to be. I collate and analyse data on our Trust performance in the area on equality, diversity and inclusion; and work alongside our EDI Lead and Staff experience team to ensure that everyone feels like they are a valued member of the Trust.
This, alongside a collective effort from a number of people from around the trust means that I get to announce that we have achieved Disability Confident Leader status. This makes us one of less than 30 acute NHS Trusts in the country to reach this level and only the second in the North East.
The Disability Confident Scheme is a Department of Work and Pensions scheme that aims to create a movement of change that will encourage employers to think differently about disability and act to improve how they recruit, retain and develop people with disabilities or long-term conditions. By being a Disability Confident organisation, we are challenged to play a leading role in changing attitudes for the better. At Northumbria, we are changing behaviour and cultures in our businesses, networks and communities, and reaping the benefits of inclusive recruitment practices.
There are three levels of status to attain in the scheme: committed, employer and leader. The last few years have seen us make sound progress and allowed us to reach that top status. We wanted to get involved with the voluntary scheme to show our commitment to being a place for everyone.
Our involvement in the scheme means we have a clear record and report on disability, mental health and wellbeing in the workplace. It’s that record that allows us to see that for example, 86% of staff with a disability or long-term condition feel that adequate adjustments have been made to enable them to carry out their work, a percentage well above the national average.
This achievement recognises that we embrace the diversity of our people and encourage them to participate in the cultural change of the organisation by giving them a voice through our surveys and networks.
If you are interested in joining the Enable Network or any of the other Staff Networks, email: equality.
The evidence the trust submitted for status review was collated by Ashleigh Kent, co-chair of the Enable Network and you can watch her explain more on the video below: