Kettering hospital makes EDI a priority

Kettering General Hospital (KGH) provides acute healthcare services for the people of North Northamptonshire and South Leicestershire. A key focus over the past two years has been equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) and the organisation has made great strides in improving the workplace for its 1,200 colleagues who are from ethnic backgrounds.

This is something that is increasingly important for all organisations. A recent global CEO survey by Fortune and Deloitte1 shows that CEO commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) has grown over the past year, including increases in organisations building DEI into strategic priorities/goals (92%) and disclosing DEI metrics to employees (72%).

The benefits of actively integrating EDI into the working culture includes having higher employee engagement, and staff who are more productive and impactful.2 As the NHS has one of the most ethnically diverse workforces in the public sector, this is paramount. The think tank, The King’s Fund, said addressing race inequalities in the NHS workforce is critical on multiple levels.3 They add that experiences of discrimination can cast a long shadow on minority ethnic NHS staff, and evidence shows that fair treatment of staff is linked to a better experience of care for patients. Improving performance on diversity and inclusion can play an important role in Trusts, like KGH, becoming a better place to work and build a career.