The Black Lives Matter movement and the disparities in the risks and outcomes of Covid-19 on BAME people have highlighted inequalities which the NHS must address. Rosemary Idiaghe, Consultant Midwife for Midwife-led Care, explains why being culturally aware is important for healthcare staff to deliver great patient care,  and discusses the contribution staff from different cultures make to our hospitals:

“Cultural awareness is the ability to understand, communicate and interact with people across different beliefs and ways of life. It is also the capacity for us as professionals to perceive our own cultural beliefs, values, and customs; and to understand how they shape our decisions and behaviour. In our day to day interaction with our diverse patient population at our Trust, being culturally aware means being empathetic, compassionate, effectively communicating, and having self-awareness as professionals. Effective communication between healthcare professionals and patients is a crucial component of quality healthcare.

“Working within a diverse ethnic patient and staff community provides an exposure to different people, experiences and ways of doing things. Within various departments of our Trust are passionate, dedicated and committed men and women from all over the world. Some of these members of staff (myself included) left family and loved ones behind and travelled thousands of miles to live and work in the UK. There is no doubt as to the level of courage, determination and resilience demonstrated by these colleagues which I believe is transferred in many ways in the care they provide or the work they do within our Trust. We have had to learn the culture, language, the weather, food, and the queues for pretty much everything; the jokes and that “sorry” means different things in England.  

“Being culturally aware is not about compromising our culture or sacrificing our values or identity. It is about recognizing how we can best adapt our approaches, thoughts and decisions to ensure we create positive outcomes in our patient interactions and significantly reduce health inequalities. It is about respecting others’ cultures as well as our own. Cultural diversity in an organisation as ours enables us to recognise and respect ways “of being” that are not necessarily our own or what is familiar. An awareness of that diversity also inspires creativity and drives innovation as we have seen in the restructuring of our services in the midst of the adversity of the Covid-19 pandemic. It also promotes an environment where people are respected and valued for their unique contributions.

“In the wake of the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the uprising of the Black Lives Matter movement that swiftly followed, huge crowds of people of all ages, race, cultural and political orientation come together to confront head-on the issues surrounding his brutal murder. If we are to maintain our status as a world-class healthcare establishment then, we must ensure that our patients and their families continue to matter in every aspect of our care provision. Our culturally diverse staff must also matter as issues affecting their health and well-being at work are addressed. 

“As the NHS celebrates its 72nd birthday, I encourage us all to shine a reflective light on ourselves. Let's take a bold step in recognizing, appreciating and understanding the diversity of our colleagues and our patient community, thereby significantly reducing health inequalities and improving our patient’s experience.”