Salford EDI team wins RCN outstanding contribution award during Black History Month celebrations

Rewarding excellence in enhancing the experience of minoritised ethnic service users and staff across the health and social care sectors, the awards recognise a wide range of initiatives being undertaken across the North West.

Nominated by Karen Heggs, Director of Nursing and Midwifery, School of Health and Society at the University of Salford, the eight strong EDI team, comprising Professors, Lecturers, Surgeons, Advanced Nurse Practitioners and Medical Statisticians, led a nationwide EDI survey of nurses exploring the barriers to research progress in perioperative practice and their awareness of access to research funding.

Following the publication of their findings, the team created a series of research masterclasses, providing the necessary insight to apply for funding to create a national framework for the need to involve black and minority ethnic staff in research projects and how their representation in clinical trials directly influences the participation of global majority patients.

The team includes: Professor Bhuvaneswari Bibleraaj, Lyndsey Rosson, Professor Heather Illes-Smith, Professor Vanessa Heaslip, Dr Marcus Taylor, Sridhar Rathinam and Rosalie Rengamoo. On winning the award, they said: “We are honoured to receive an award on "Outstanding contribution to Equity, Diversity & Inclusion in Health and Social Care" as part of the Royal College of Nursing Black History Month 2024.

“It was a great effort from the University of Salford and Society of Cardiothoracic Surgery team to create an awareness about the clinical research, funding opportunities and the impact of evidence-based practice across the England.”

Congratulating the award winners, Estephanie Dunn, Regional Director of RCN North West, said: “Our Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic nursing community play a vital role in caring for people and their families across the region and these awards celebrate the unique contribution that they make. We are proud to honour their achievements alongside those who work to address inequalities that this demographic contends with on a daily basis.

“No one, no matter their ethnicity or place of birth, should be denied the same rights and opportunities afforded to others and there are few places where that disparity is more apparent than in the health and care sector. Despite progress made by employers to address race inequality, discrimination in the health and care sector is systemic - and it’s clear it still has a long way to go in overcoming the prejudices that both patients and staff face and to achieve greater equality.

“However, hearing how valued our award winners are in their organisations gives me hope that one day trying to fight inequality within the health and care sector will be a thing of the past.”

The awards form part of the RCN North West’s annual event to recognise and celebrate the outstanding contribution of nursing staff either from or in service of those from minoritised ethnic backgrounds who work in health and social care across the region.

This year’s conference, the theme of which was ‘Anti-Racism: A Public Health Solution’, took place on Wednesday at the Quaker House in Liverpool. Hosted by Joan Sadler OBE, Director of Partnerships and Equality, NHS Confederation, speakers included Dr Gunjit Bandesha, Director of Healthcare Public Health, NHS England North West, and Shabnaz Rahman, Senior Operational Manager- Stakeholder Outreach & Briefing Lead, Windrush Customer Support and Engagement Team at the Home Office.

The award winners this year reflect the wide-ranging initiatives being undertaken across a range of settings, including universities, healthcare settings and hospitals, in both clinical and non-clinical areas. They were recognised for their commitment to ensuring equity in access to healthcare provision for all and in the promotion and further recruitment of new nurses from the minoritised ethnic workforce.