Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT) has celebrated the graduation of the first cohort of BME colleagues in the Resilience Intelligent Strength and Excellence (RISE) programme.
Last week, 47 of the Trust’s colleagues from Black and Ethnic Minority Background graduated from the RISE programme, an EPUT customised talent development programme. The program is aimed to improve the Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES) indicators and the ambition of NHS England to ensure equitable representation of BME Directors at senior positions and board level in the NHS.
The programme, supporting the Trust to achieve the Model Employer Aspiration since it started in October 2021, helps nurture rising stars within EPUT.
RISE was developed for colleagues from black, Asian, and minority ethnic backgrounds, working in any role, from bands 2 to 8b, to boost participants’ confidence, enhance their transferable skills, and encourage them to rise to challenges.
Colleagues who signed up for the programme participated in several sessions on change management, effective leadership, and cultural and emotional intelligence. They also had the opportunity to take part in a quality improvement project. Throughout the programme, they were offered coaching, mentoring, and the chance to discuss with our executive team and non-executive director.
The RISE programme was co-produced with the Trust’s leadership team of the Ethnic Minority and Race Equality Staff Network (EMREN), Equality and Diversity and the Learning and Development Teams with support from the Trust Board and sponsorship from the Executive Director of People and Culture.
Moriam Adekunle, Director of Safety and Patient Safety Specialist and RISE program lead, coordinated the graduation event, which celebrated the graduation of 8 emerging leaders, 18 aspiring leaders and 19 rising leaders, which took place at Stockbrook Manor Country Club in Billericay on Thursday, 7 July 2022.
She said: “I am delighted to have had the opportunity to wrap up the graduation ceremony and celebrate all the graduates from the RISE programme.
“I am very grateful to the RISE participants for taking a leap of faith and for the trust to join the RISE programme; without the participants, there would have been no RISE programme in the Trust’’.
Moriam addedd: “An event such as this celebration is an excellent indication of what we can achieve by joining forces and serves as a reminder of the fact that we are stronger together. This aligns with our organisation’s new purpose of “We care for people, every day. What we do together, matters.”
EPUT introduced The RISE programme to support the achievement of the Trust’s Safety First Safety Always Strategy, address the gap identified in the WRES 2020 report and contribute to the quality of leadership in the Trust by developing highly-skilled, adequate BME staff to more senior positions.
So far, the program has supported the organisation in developing staff skills and knowledge, recruiting and retaining staff from diverse communities, and improving creativity and innovation, resulting in better staff satisfaction rates and engagement. It has also developed a Talent pool of BME Staff in EPUT.
The programme is currently undergoing an accreditation process, and there is scope for adoption and spread within the East of England region and beyond.
Here are some quotes from the RISE graduates about their experience on the program:
One graduate said: “Attending the RISE Programme has enabled me to gain the skills and knowledge I so eagerly desired; it has taken me on a journey of deep reflections about how I perceived and related to myself. The programme has put up a much-needed mirror that has forced me to look and see myself and all the amazing skills and knowledge I held but wasn’t aware of.
“The programme has given me the confidence to rise above the walls and boundaries surrounding me, especially the self-imposed ones. It has exposed me to a wealth of knowledge about working in leadership roles within the NHS. I have learned more about the structure of the NHS in the program than during my ten years of service. I can only describe the RISE Programme as transformative.”
Another graduate added: “I attended the Line Manager Workshop for the RISE Programme in March 2022 because one of my team members is doing the programme. The workshop clarified what the programme wants to achieve and why creating a just and learning culture within our organisation is essential. I found the speakers to be engaging, insightful and genuinely inspirational.
“The issues covered were thought-provoking and made me question my biases and behaviours. It was an emotional, challenging and rewarding day that I would recommend without hesitation to all managers”.
For more information on the RISE programme you can contact: [email protected]