Equality, Diversity and Human Rights Week - Rachel Baines Blog

Hello! I’m Rachel, one of the assistant psychologists working within the staff support service, Thrive. I’d like to take a moment of your time to discuss the purpose of this service in relation to the topics within Equality, Diversity and Human Rights.

Fashion model, Khoudia Diop, stated, “Diversity is what makes life interesting”. Whilst this is true, living in a diverse society can be challenging at times. These challenges occur when individuals or organisations hold prejudiced thoughts on certain groups of people. This may then impact the wellbeing of individuals within these communities through the means of self-shame and internalised oppression.

As we are all aware, the NHS is dedicated to promoting an environment which embraces diversity, in which all individuals are treated with courtesy, dignity and respect: both patients and staff. This being said, some of our staff members still cautiously enter their workplace, fearing prejudice and in many circumstances, do not disclose aspects of their identity because of this. Our Trust’s Diversity and Inclusion Team work exceptionally hard to ensure that various communities feel accepted and also have a voice, particularly within the staff culture through the promotion of Staff Network Groups (BAME Staff Network, LGBT+ Staff Network and Positive Health Staff Network). As well as the networks, staff also have access to Thrive.

Thrive is an in-house staff support service offered to all staff employed by South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust. It was introduced in July 2021, following the pressures experienced by our workforce throughout the pandemic. The Thrive team consists of psychologists, counsellors, assistant psychologists and a team secretary who are all committed to developing a more compassionate working culture. This is done by offering personal one-to-one sessions, delivering wellbeing-related training to teams within the Trust, promoting a variety of approaches towards staff wellbeing and providing group interventions.

At Thrive, it is paramount that everyone is able to access service regardless of circumstance. Thrive has been designed around inclusivity and accessibility for all staff. This is conveyed through Thrive’s flexibility in delivering appointments (remote or face-to-face). We also offer some after-hour appointments to accommodate clients’ shift patterns or caring commitments. Thrive is committed to developing an inclusive service and offers support for staff with neurodiversity and for staff who care for children with neurodiversity. With regards to physical accessibility, face-to-face appointments are held in accessible, wheel-chair adapted venues and on-site locations for ease of access five days a week, across both main Trust sites (Sunderland Royal and South Tyneside District Hospitals). We also offer sessions at community venues, such as the Children’s Centre.

At Thrive, all of our staff work hard to ensure that we meet the needs of our clients, though if there is anything more we can do, then we will certainly try. We value our clients’ thoughts and feelings very highly and appreciate all forms of feedback that we receive. We provide an opportunity to feedback after each client has worked with Thrive, and also

encourage feedback through the staff networks or contacting the Thrive team or Equality, Diversity and Inclusion team.

Part of today’s focus of Equality, Diversity and Human Rights Week is psychological safety. A psychologically safe environment is one in which an individual does not feel punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes. Providing space for psychological safety creates a culture of support, accountability and compassion. This culture does not compromise high quality care or a reduction in operational standards or expectations but in fact does the opposite. Thrive provides a psychologically safe space for everyone who accesses the service, regardless of personal circumstance or identity. This environment is created by upholding the NHS values of compassion, respect and dignity.

On behalf of Thrive, we hope you have a great week this week and do feel free to get in touch with the team should you need any additional information.

“Diversity is a mix and inclusion is making the mix work.” – Andrés Tapia