A message from Peter Blythin, Executive Director of Workforce and Corporate Business.
August would normally see the Trust busy preparing to participate in the Manchester Pride Festival, where each year we are among one of the largest groups of staff participating. Whilst the COVID-19 virus has meant the Festival has been postponed this year we will be celebrating Pride virtually within the Trust with vlogs by staff, both LGBT staff and allies.
- The staff network launched a new virtual zone for members on the MFT Learning Hub where members can connect, virtually meet and access up to date resources from a range of organisations. Members can email lgbt.staffnetwork@mft.nhs.uk to opt into this area.
- Staff are able to attach the Pride Flag to their email signatures for the month of August, to show their support(see below).
- The Pride Flag is now flying high at MRI for the entire month of August, and more flags are due to be distributed across the Trust.
Our vision is to improve the health and quality of life of our diverse population. We recognise that to do that we need to be an employer of choice that recruits and develops staff so that talented people choose to join, remain and develop within the Trust. That is why we have placed achieving, ‘A representative and supported workforce’, at the heart of our equality, diversity and inclusion strategy, Diversity Matters.
I am proud of our LGBT Staff Network and the work it is doing in providing a sense of community for our staff and helping shape the culture and behaviours of the Trust. Since implementing the NHS Rainbow Badge scheme in September 2019, over 5000 staff have now pledged to be a safe listening ear to LGBT staff and patients – in non-socially distanced times this amount of people would sell out the Royal Albert Hall! The network is currently devising ways to bring the badge distributions back safely and more information will be shared over the next month.
We are all responsible for ensuring that the Trust is a place where everyone can feel safe and be happy to be who they are without judgement or fear. We can all be champions of LGBT equality and if you have not already done so take the Rainbow Badge pledge in order to receive your badge, visit the MFT Learning Hub and type ‘LGBT’ into the search box on the dashboard or click this link.
Flying the flag (left to right): Andy Proctor – Estate and Facilities Officer. Andrew Lloyd, Chair – MFT LGBT Staff Network, Nathalie Chadelat –Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Team Project Officer.