Sixty-nine colleagues celebrated graduating from Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust’s Resilience, Intelligence, Strength, and Excellence (RISE) programme.
They are the fifth cohort to complete the talent development programme designed to support colleagues from global majority backgrounds to progress their careers and enhance leadership skills.
EPUT launched RISE in 2021 as part of the Trust’s commitment to creating a fair and inclusive workplace for all and to provide equitable representation and opportunities for all staff members.
Since then, more than 250 members of staff have completed the programme which also gives those taking part coaching, mentoring and the opportunity to carry out quality improvement projects to make changes that enhance the quality of care EPUT provides for its patients.
Paul Taylor, Director of Organisational Development and Culture at EPUT, said: “We benefit from having a diverse workforce with an incredible breadth of talent – the RISE programme plays a vital role in bringing this to light, elevating potential and supporting colleagues to explore their ambitions and take the next step in their careers while making improvements to benefit our patients, their families and carers.”
One of the recent graduates is Usman Choudhary, a Senior Healthcare Assistant. He said: “I have learned new communication skills, which help me to provide better care for our service users. I pushed myself to get into the programme so I could excel in my career and bring some better changes to the health care system and specifically in mental health wards.”
Another graduate, Chukwuebuka Jideofor, Advanced Community Mental Health Pharmacist, added: “RISE piqued my interest purely as I was interested in pursuing a leadership role and was aware of the barriers and challenges from a professional point of view that people from a global majority background can sometimes face.”
Zacharia Louis, Senior Physiotherapist, said that the programme had given him a wider perspective of what it means to be a leader. “It’s empowered me to stand as a leader and to focus on what I can provide. It’s given me the skills and behaviours to make that possible,” he said.
EPUT has shared learning from the RISE programme with other NHS Trusts and continues to develop the programme based on feedback from participants.
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PHOTO:
- Group of graduates
- Chukwuebuka Jideofor – Advanced Community Mental Health Pharmacist
- Usman Choudhary – Senior Healthcare Assistant
- Zacharia Louis – Senior Physiotherapist
NOTES TO EDITORS:
- EPUT has a vision to be the leading health and wellbeing service in the provision of mental health and community care: Who we are – Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
- EPUT provides services to more than 100,000 patients at any one time and our staff are focused on providing high quality care in often complex situations.
- The organisation has invested in inpatient facilities and community services to make them safer and more therapeutic. We have extensively invested in technology to keep patients safer, enhanced training, and are continuously working with our staff, patients, their families and carers to use learning and best practice to enhance our quality of care.
- While there is more to do, the Trust has made significant progress through innovation:
- Our 111 mental health crisis phone line ensures people in need can access support 24 hours a day, 365 days a year
- People with lived experience have been employed in designated roles across the Trust, ensuring patient voice is heart of the organisation and all that we do.
- A number of new initiatives have been launched, helping people access the support they need when they need it most. These include a mental health urgent care department, By Your Side maternal mental health service, Rough Sleeper team, mental health crisis ambulance cars, virtual wards and neuromodulation service.
- EPUT was formed on 1 April 2017 and provides community health, mental health and learning disability services across Essex, Luton and Bedfordshire and Suffolk. We employ more than 7,200 staff working across more than 200 sites.
- To read more about our priorities and commitments to deliver the highest quality and safest care possible, visit htttps://eput.nhs.uk/about-us/2023-2028-strategic-plan/