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Northumbria Healthcare has joined over 800 employers in signing up to the Race at Work Charter, an initiative designed for organisations to collectively commit to improving equal opportunities for Black, Asian, Mixed Race and ethnically diverse employees in the UK.

The Race at Work Charter calls on businesses to:

• Appoint an Executive Sponsor for race
• Capture data and publicising progress
• Ensure zero tolerance of harassment and bullying
• Make equality in the workplace the responsibility of all leaders and managers
• Take action that supports ethnic minority career progression
• Support race inclusion allies in the workplace
• Include Black, Asian, Mixed Race and other ethnically diverse-led enterprise owners in supply chains

Launched in 2018, the Race at Work Charter builds on the work of the 2017 McGregor-Smith Review, which found that people from Black, Asian, Mixed Race and ethnically diverse backgrounds are still underemployed, underpromoted and under-represented at senior levels.

Birju Bartoli, Chief Operating Officer and Executive Sponsor for Race at Northumbria Healthcare said: “We want to be a really open and inclusive employer so that we are able to recruit and retain the very best range of people to provide outstanding care to our patients. We hope this move signals that at Northumbria we are completely committed to being inclusive and engaging with all our staff whatever their race or background.”

Sandra Kerr CBE, Race Director at Business in the Community, said: “We would like to thank Northumbria Healthcare for publicly committing to be an inclusive and responsible employer. By signing up to the charter, they are joining over 800 businesses who are working together so that the UK can have one of the most inclusive workplaces in the world. By taking collective action, we can break down workplace barriers, raise the aspirations and achievements of talented individuals regardless of their ethnicity and deliver an enormous boost to the long-term economic position of the UK.”