We are committed to equality of opportunity, treatment and behaviour, employment, promotion and development.
We are proud of our diverse workforce who are representative of the communities we serve and support us in the delivery of our equality agenda.
Our equality objectives 2022-2026
Protecting our staff
- Ensuring that workplace environments are free from bullying or intimidating behaviour, violence and aggression.
Increasing representation
- Increasing workforce representation at all levels and positive reports of staff experience about equality of opportunity, as measured through the staff survey.
- Delivering on our commitments in the national workforce race and disability equality standards, and the aspirational targets for multicultural staff.
Building an inclusive culture
- Making sure that people feel comfortable to be themselves and feel that they belong.
- Continuing development of inclusive leaders and allies.
Supporting staff to tailor care towards cultural needs
- Supporting staff to recognise and tailor care towards people’s cultural needs and attend to social and health inequalities.
Anti-discrimination
We are committed to a culture where everyone is treated with dignity and respect, and where discrimination, harassment and prejudice in all their forms are challenged. We recognise that people experience different and sometimes overlapping barriers because of who they are. We will listen to these experiences, tackle inequalities and take action to create an inclusive environment for our colleagues, patients and communities. This commitment strengthens our specific responsibility to confront racism, reflected in the Sussex-wide anti-racism statement below.
Anti-racism statement
There is no place for racism in Sussex. We recognise the impact that racist behaviours have on our workforce is devastating. We want people to feel safe and to thrive. It is our responsibility to create safe, inclusive, and supportive working environments and stamp out racism when we see it. We stand firmly together with our partners in being committed to tackling institutional and interpersonal racism in all its forms. We commit to listening, monitoring, and continually evaluating our practice because we recognise that good anti-racist practice for our workforce leads to better care for our patients and our population.
Antisemitism
We do not tolerate antisemitism in any form. To support this, and alongside other NHS organisations, we have adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) non-legally binding working definition of antisemitism, which is as follows:
Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.