Andrew Morgan: Lincolnshire’s hospitals united against racism

By Andrew Morgan CEO of United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust

Earlier this month we launched a new campaign to help tackle the rising number of reports of racist abuse towards our staff.

We know that the overwhelming majority of people treat our staff with the dignity and respect that they deserve. However, over the past year, sadly 27 incidents of discrimination against staff have been reported, with 25 of these being race-related.

In order for our staff to be able to provide the best possible care to patients, we need to make sure that our teams are protected from racism, and any other form of unlawful discrimination, whilst they are at work.

We are an inclusive employer and we are proud of our highly skilled colleagues who have a range of diverse backgrounds. We have colleagues from over 20 different countries. Racism will not be tolerated in our hospitals.

We also know that some instances include colleague-on-colleague racism, which is equally unacceptable. Racism is not excused in our hospitals, whether from a patient, visitor or fellow colleague.

The Trust’s anti-racism strategy outlines a range of measures to ensure that staff feel protected and supported, including education and training for the wider organisation.

Along with the strategy, we have also launched a series of posters and graphics to empower them to speak up and take a stand against racial abuse.

We are committed to making ULHT a great place to work and receive care, and this strategy supports colleagues who experience racism. It is vital that they know that they are listened to and we will support and work with them to combat any racist behaviour in our hospitals.

We also recognise that colleagues sometimes face racist behaviour from other colleagues, and this strategy applies equally to them. This is unacceptable behaviour which we will not tolerate in our hospitals.

This is just the start of our work on discrimination. We will be widening our focus and action onto any other forms of discrimination in our workplace.

Together, by calling out and addressing this behaviour, we can stand united against all forms of discrimination.

Andrew Morgan is the chief executive of United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust and the former CEO of Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust.