Addressing Inequalities 

One of the key ambitions in the NHS People Plan is ‘Belonging to the NHS’ focusing on inclusion and reducing inequalities within the workforce. It cites strong evidence for promoting an NHS workforce representative of the community that it serves, as findings suggest patient care and the overall patient experience is more personalised and patients have better outcomes.

Prioritised Activity

Addressing inequalities will be a cross cutting theme across all strategic activity, supported by a programme Equality Impact Assessment (EIA). In addition, individual project leads will carry out Equality Impact Assessments (EIAs) to ensure policies, practices, events and decision-making processes are fair and do not present barriers to participation or disadvantage any protected groups from participation.

There is an established Expert Advisory Group to ensure activity is data and expert led and optimise opportunity for collaborative working. This activity feeds directly into the GM Cancer Health Inequalities Board, which we anticipate will evolve significantly in line with the ICB Health and Equity Programme. Initial activity includes:

  • Work with the Greater Manchester Virtual Workforce Information System (VWIS) Team to understand current workforce race equality data as part of the workforce data pilot
  • Pilot race equality interventions to increase representation of the cancer workforce to:
  1. ensure the workforce is representative of the community that it serves
  2. promote the good employment charter interventions supported by the ICB
  3. inform future recruitment practices
  • Promote inclusive recruitment practices utilising learning from previous projects outside of cancer
  • Signpost and promote ICP recruitment guides to cancer workforce recruitment colleagues to ensure fair and equitable chances of success, and exploration of alternative entry routes to attract diverse talent
  • Work with pathway boards to ensure diverse and inclusive representation from the different professional groups

Work in collaboration with key partners and the Greater Manchester Cancer Early Diagnosis programme to promote and encourage the cancer workforce to live well and engage with health promotion campaigns / programmes, including but not limited to:

  • Make Smoking History
  • Making Every Contact Count (MECC) for Menopause
  • Cancer Screening Campaigns

  • In collaboration with the LGBT Foundation develop a training module to enable the cancer workforce to have mutually empowering conversations with patients and ask inclusive questions
  • Develop, deliver and signpost to accessible EDI training
  • Work in collaboration with the Cancer Academy to develop a training package; Understanding and Supporting the role of the Carer, to enable staff to support carers and their wellbeing.

Our Activity

GM Integrated Care Partnership Recruitment & Retention Toolkit

Bee seen get screened

The Greater Manchester Recruitment and Retention Toolkit is now available to all health and social care staff that are involved recruitment and retention processes for their organisation. The toolkit brings together information to support organisations to tackle recruitment and retention challenges that are leading to high staff turnover rates and difficulties filling key vacancies.

GM Integrated Care Partnership Recruitment & Retention Toolkit

In collaboration with the LGBT Foundation, Greater Manchester Cancer Academy are pleased to bring you this module on providing more inclusive care to LGBTQ+ patients.

This learning package covers 7 key areas and is suitable for anyone within the health and social care workforce.

Click here to view the module

The Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance proudly pledged their support for the Answer Cancer ‘Bee Seen. Get Screened!’ campaign. This promotes protected time for the cancer workforce to access their cancer screenings and for line managers and HR colleagues to confidently support staff health and well-being. View our resource to find out how your organisation can support the pledge.

Support the pledge here

Updates

Resources

Collaboration with the LGBT Foundation to Provide Inclusive Education

Following two successful cohorts of webinars run in collaboration with the LGBT foundation the programme team have worked with the Foundation to turn these well evaluated sessions into a dedicated e-Learning module to provide the opportunity for the workforce to access at a time convenient for them. Responding to the needs of the workforce this module takes a look at how to ask inclusive questions and have empowering conversations underpinned by cancer specific case studies. This educational offering has been positively received by learners as one of the highest subscribed education offerings on the GM Cancer Academy with 191 delegates enrolled onto the course.

Click here to view the module

Involving Patient & Carer Representatives within the full recruitment process.

The GM Cancer Alliance have published a case study showcasing the positive outcomes of involving Patient & Carer Representatives within the full recruitment process.

Read the full case study here