Local people from the Bradford district are invited to join staff and Board of Directors at Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust’s next online Public Board meeting. This will be held on Thursday 11 November 2021 from 9.00am-2.00pm.

At the meeting, members of the public will hear all about the Care Trust’s new Belonging and Inclusion Plan, which has been developed over the last four months with staff across the organisation.

The plan sets out the Trust’s vision to create a sense of belonging and inclusion in the health and care system, as part of the national aim set out by the NHS People Plan. It also sets out their vision for tackling health inequalities and inequality within the workforce, and establishes their priorities for delivering that vision over the next three years.

One of the Trust’s six strategic objectives for 2021/22 is to empower all staff to be leaders within an open culture and make the Trust an excellent place to work. The Belonging and Inclusion plan will support this goal by setting clear objectives. It will also put an emphasis on diversity and inclusivity in all areas.

A large amount of engagement work took place in developing the plan, including Senior Leadership workshops, a crowdsourcing workshop, the delivery of 30 presentations across the Trust, as well as within the staff networks and the Voluntary and Community Sector Assembly.

In May this year, Therese Patten, Chief Executive at Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust, made an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Pledge as follows:

• To treat everyone as a unique individual, valuing the difference they bring;
• To continue with our preparedness programmes ensuring everyone has the skills, experience and knowledge needed to take their next career step and to match that preparation with real opportunity;
• To have robust systems in place to ensure that we measure our success.

Therese Patten, Chief Executive at Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust said: “Our services need to reflect and understand the community they serve at all levels of the organisation. Every colleague needs to know that they matter as an individual, needs to feel valued and that they can bring their whole selves to work, no matter their background. This of course includes socio-economic status, religion, LGBT+, disability, gender, caring responsibility and race.

“Equality, diversity, and inclusion must be central to everything we do at the Trust, and we must all play our part in delivering sustainable change. We must endeavour to live our Care Trust way values – we listen, we care, we deliver – so that this is an organisation that we are all proud of.”

During the meeting, the Board will also discuss upcoming priorities, the winter plan and the financial report. Anyone interested in joining virtually on Thursday 11 November 2021 should contact the Trust’s Foundation Office on FT@bdct.nhs.uk or 01274 251313.