UK Disability History Month: NUH and a year of inclusivity firsts
UK Disability History Month: NUH and a year of inclusivity firsts
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) is ‘a champion for disability confidence within our local community’ – says the Trust’s head of equality and diversity.
This year’s UK Disability History Month (UKDHM) – which runs from today until 20 December – focuses on Disability, Livelihood and Employment.
“NUH is acting as a champion for disability confidence within our local community, encouraging and supporting other organisations to also become disability confident,” said head of equality and diversity Giles Matsell.
One in four NHS staff has lived experience of a disability or long-term condition. In December 2023, 10.21m people of working age reported that they were disabled – 24% of the UK population and up nearly half a million from the previous year.
NUH was awarded Disability Confident Leader status – the highest level in the Government-led accreditation scheme – in August. The scheme encourages employers to recruit, retain and develop people with disabilities and health conditions.
Clive Clarke, NUH Director of Inclusion, said: “This year’s theme reflects the direction of travel for NUH and its everyone is welcome campaign.”
The everyone is welcome campaign launched in August with the aim of making sure NUH is an open and inclusive place, where everyone – staff, patients, and visitors – feels like they belong.
Clive added: “In January, the Board signed off our first Workforce Inclusion Strategy; with it was an explicit intent to ensure that our offer to our employees, our patients, and our communities are equitable.
“We are committed to hearing the voices of our disabled staff and we encourage where staff feel able to do so to declare their disability so that we are better able to communicate and meet their needs. I hope people engage with the month and come away with an appreciation of our disabled colleagues and what it is like - for a little bit - to walk in their shoes.”
And in July – in a further step to improve our inclusivity – we started sending out interview questions to job candidates in advance. This has been recognised as a way of trying to level the playing field for candidates, including those for whom English isn't their first language and those who are neurodivergent.
Tim Guyler, Director of Strategy and Integration and executive sponsor of the Staffability network, said: “Having inclusive recruitment and development is a key part of our People First Strategy, as it is how we are going to retain staff and become the employer of choice.”
Giles added: “We relaunched our Staffability staff network in May, and formally launched a dedicated Neurodiversity network - one of the few NHS Trusts to have a dedicated space for ND staff.
“Together with our other staff inclusion networks (REACH, Women’s and LGBTQIA+), they work intersectionally to consider overlapping and interdependencies and to address barriers of disadvantage and discrimination that are not always evident through a singular lens of one protected characteristic.”
“Our everyone is welcome campaign truly highlighted that differences should be celebrated, and that we all have a responsibility to remain educated on disabilities for both patients and colleagues,” said Stephanie Byrne, chair of the Staffability network.
“Not all disabilities will be visible, and people with the same conditions can struggle in vastly different ways. This is why, at NUH, we’d like to encourage everyone to act as a team, and always be considerate of the people around you.
“I feel incredibly proud of myself, and disabled colleagues. The latest figures for the Disability Employment Gap show that only 54.2% of disabled people remain employed, compared to 82% of non-disabled people (2023).
“UKDHM aims to highlight the past, present and future of disability advocacy – and at NUH, we want to focus on what that means to our Trust, and how to support the people around us. I’m incredibly proud that NUH has committed to championing disability advocacy and, as a disabled member of staff, I feel deep gratitude towards this commitment.
“We want NUH to remain a safe place for disabled people to stay in work, and hope to support this however possible. The history behind disabilities and neurodiversity can be a difficult reality, but we hope that the future will be kinder, more accommodating, and more inclusive for all.”