Farukh Hussain, Finance Manager and Co-chair of our Ethnic Minority Network (EMN), writes about the work of the network in supporting staff to speak up to make our hospitals better places to work. The King’s Fund have published a report ‘Workforce race inequalities and inclusion in NHS providers’ which includes three case studies of NHS providers who sought to address race inequalities and develop positive and inclusive working environments. Farukh also encourages BAME and vulnerable staff to complete a Covid-19 risk assessment.

“As the Co-chair of the Ethnic Minority Network, my eyes have been opened through meeting and talking to staff who go above and beyond to care for their patients, and yet are not working in conditions that suit their needs.

“How do we fix this? For me, raising our voices is the beginning, bringing focus to our concerns and issues – which is important because I am a strong believer in happy staff meaning happier and better care for patients.

“In recent times we have had a global movement for Black Lives Matter, which is very close to my heart - growing up in Ilford I grew up with a lot of people who are from black backgrounds which helped me in understanding different cultures and the value we all bring. I believe this is something which is lacking nationwide.

“I personally believe that here at our Trust, there is support available for members of staff who are feeling vulnerable for any reason, although I appreciate the way I feel may not be the same for everyone. It’s why forums such as the Ethnic Minority Network (EMN) are so important, to help show there is support out there. As part of the EMN, we have regular meetings and focus groups, which anyone is welcome to come to – these are safe spaces where you can raise a concern or just feel like you're not alone - BHRUT is a family, so we are all here to make you feel part of it.

“When I consider my thought processes around something like a risk assessment, or the current staff survey, my mentality is that of ‘how can I improve my experiences and improve the experiences of my colleagues – no matter their skin colour’.     

“And that is what these frameworks give us – a way to raise our voices so they are heard and we can make our working lives better and safer.        

“When I think about this, and of how many staff are completing the staff survey, it makes me question how people are – or aren’t – making time to do the survey and the assessments (from both a BAME and vulnerable staff perspective); if not why not; and how many people care about making the environment better for our patients?

"Not having the time cannot be an excuse we use and we can only address the issues if we raise them. As colleagues we need to use our power and exercise our rights. 

“I recall a time when I used to work in a well-known supermarket – this was at a time when you could count the number of BAME staff we had. Talking to my peers we knew who would be given the jobs no one liked. During a yearly appraisal of managers this was raised as a concern, and we could see a pattern was forming.

"Once the investigations were processed it came to light - and then a change was made. I didn’t stop doing the work I didn’t like completely, but I was doing those particular jobs less, which made my experiences better and I stayed working with the company for a lot longer than expected.

"This shows change can happen. It takes courage and sometimes it can take time but being patient we can and will see change. Nothing happens overnight but raising concerns, doing risk assessments, completing your staff survey, attending focus groups – all these elements will only help better your experiences and help new colleagues who come to work here.

“So let’s try to get this message out to people, let’s have those discussions, and let’s do the right things to make change happen.”