Lancashire Teaching Hospitals has been ranked at number 42 in the Inclusive Top 50 UK Employers List for 2018. Being recognised within the list recognises the outstanding efforts of employers that are on a journey to reinforce their commitment to attracting and retaining a diverse workforce.
The list is compiled by a dedicated panel of judges, with organisations being scored on their performance in a range of areas including recruitment, training and a host of diversity related initiatives.
Lancashire Teaching Hospitals prides itself on being an inclusive and diverse organisation, and is lucky to have a workforce full of talented individuals who originate from 94 different countries across the globe and who come from a variety of backgrounds.
The organisation held its first Valuing Diversity Conference in June this year to raise awareness of the importance of recognising and celebrating diversity. The event included Bollywood dancing lessons, a discussion from Tez Ilyas (comedian) challenging stereotypes and generalisations, a presentation from the Head of Diversity and Inclusion at NHS England and some very inspirational, personal stories were shared too.
Lancashire Teaching Hospitals also had a presence at Preston Pride earlier this year, with the aim of signalling its commitment to being inclusive to its workforce but also bringing the local community together to celebrate and support inclusion and equality. This was the perfect chance for staff to speak with people in the community to gather views about the services and how to work together in the future.
Furthermore, the Pride flag was raised across both Royal Preston Hospital and Chorley District Hospital sites in support of the celebrations.
Mandy Davis, Blended Learning Manager and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Lead (Workforce) at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals, said: “Being named within the top 50 inclusive employers signals the work that we are trying to do to further enhance our equality, diversity and inclusion offer to our workforce. I am excited that the work we have already undertaken signals our progression and look forward to improving on this position year by year.”
“We are totally committed to developing an inclusive working environment, in addition to developing and delivering services that respond to people’s individual needs. We want to ensure that our hospitals truly celebrate diversity and champion inclusion at every level.”
Karen Swindley, Workforce and Education Director at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals, said: “We are so pleased to have been named within the Inclusive Top 50 UK Employers list this year. Being named within this list is testament to the work that our teams have been doing to enhance our equality, diversity and inclusion offer and we are committed to continuing to improve this offer more and more.”