Posted on: 1 September 2021
West Yorkshire and Harrogate Health and Care Partnership (WY&H HCP) is bringing together
local, regional, and international speakers for a week-long celebration from Monday 4 to Friday 8 October. The week will showcase the work taking place across the area to connect on inclusion, whilst celebrating diversity within its workforce, learning from others, and highlighting the positive difference made when all come together.
Coordinated by the WY&H HCP Race Equality Network online event speakers include WY&H HCP CEO, Rob Webster CBE, and Cllr Shabir Pandor, Leader of Kirklees Council.
King’s Fund and Professor at Lancaster University Michael West CBE; Dr Habib Naqvi Director, NHS Race and Health Observatory; Jenni Douglas-Todd, Director of Equality and Inclusion at NHS England and Nadine Pemberton all the way from St Lucia will take part amongst many others. As a previous Executive Director of Legal for Social Work England and current consultant coach and mentor, Nadine will be sharing her leadership journey.
The week-long event, held using digital technology, will recognise WY&H HCP’s approach to
championing diversity, inclusivity, and equality, whilst setting out the difference made since it launched its race review in October 2020 into the impact of COVID-19 on minority ethnic communities and colleagues. This includes an award winning Fellowship leadership programme, which was informed by the WY&H HCP Race Equality Network and a coproduced anti-racism movement with the West Yorkshire Violence Reduction Unit and over 550 partner organisations/ community allies.
Network members are now on key decision-making forums, with representation on interview panels and are supporting the development of a health inequality fellowship, The Network has also been involved in the West Yorkshire Vaccine Programme to encourage take up. Other examples include a toolkit for recording ethnicity being embedded within the WY&H HCP Development Framework.
Cllr Pandor, Leader of Kirklees Council said: ‘It’s great to see the difference being made across our area. We pride ourselves on the richness and diversity of our communities and it’s only right we celebrate achievements made. It’s a great start. There is more to do. It’s everyone’s business to connect on inclusion – and this weeklong event will demonstrate that each of us has an important part to play towards becoming an inclusive society’.
Rob Webster, CBE, and CEO for WY&H HCP said: ‘This is an important week for us, where we will again be raising the profile of our diverse workforce and the work, we are doing to deliver on race equality in our Partnership. This event is another opportunity for us to ensure people see the ongoing commitment we have to addressing a social and systemic issue. We have come a long way in the last 12 months and the work of the Network has been outstanding. These achievements would not have been possible without the energy, motivation and passion they bring to the change that’s needed’.
Fatima Khan-Shah, a WY&H HCP Programme Director for unpaid carers and personalised care, who convenes the Race Equality network said: ‘All the work we are doing is co-produced with Race Equality Network colleagues, supported with a clear plan of action working in Partnership with the leadership – that’s the magic ingredient because without such we would achieve nothing for each other or our communities’. 
Sayma Mirza, WY&H HCP Associate Director for System Leadership and Development and one of the co-founders of the event said: ‘We’re excited and looking forward to this special week of celebration. Themes for the sessions include masterclasses on inclusion, sharing good practice and increasing accountability, amongst many other important topics. We are keen to connect everyone on inclusion’.
