NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde is committed to becoming a leading anti-racism organisation. We want to ensure that our workforce at every level represents the communities we serve and that we are inclusive and welcoming of all patients and staff.
We recognise that racism is a fundamental cause of poor health in affected populations.
We believe our workplace should be a place where discrimination is unacceptable.
We plan to –
- actively seek out and remove racism and discriminatory practice
- identify the systems and behaviour that are allowing this to happen
- ensure that everyone feels able to bring these to light.
Through our tried and tested methods, our staff and patients with lived experience of racism will tell us how well we are doing this. Along with our network of anti-racism organisations, they will also help us shape our ongoing work.
Our Anti-Racism Plan reflects our Equality Outcomes (2025 – 2029) and follows guidance developed by the Scottish Government. It brings together our existing anti-racism work and our planned new activities in a single document.
Our actions are grouped under the following themes.
Leadership and Accountability
Our leaders will be visible in their commitment to stand against racism and will work together to ensure their power and influence successfully delivers our goals. They will continue to invest in established anti-racism work, including activity to increase representation of Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) people in leadership positions.
Data and Evidence
Our workforce will be supported to provide equality monitoring data that will allow the organisation to determine whether we have a workforce that reflects the communities we serve. This information will allow us to identify any additional measures that need to be taken to ensure inclusion across all areas.
Patient data will be used to measure whether our services are meeting the needs of BME people. There have been significant improvements in gathering ethnicity data in recent years, however more examination is required to find out if we are consistently providing improved access to services for BME people.
Workforce, Culture and Wellbeing
Our ongoing workforce activities will continue to focus on creating fair opportunities and promoting our anti-racist position. These include a dedicated BME leadership programme and a supported BME Staff Network.
Staff are supported to report perceived Hate Crime incidents via NHSGGC’s incident reporting system. Racist incidents are the most commonly reported, which has led to system-wide campaigns supported by resources and training.
We will deliver equality, diversity and inclusion training to all NHSGGC managers which will highlight the manager’s role in tackling racism in the workplace. This will sit alongside our delivery of a range of anti-racism learning opportunities developed by the Coalition for Racial Equality and Rights (CRER).
Equality Focused Service Delivery
Our Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA) Programme will continue to be used to highlight the impact any service changes may have on particular communities or groups of patients.
A new Frontline Equality Access Tool (FEAT) is now being used in hospital services to better understand how equality law is translated into everyday activity. The tool allows us to identify areas where staff need additional support to ensure they meet the needs of all patients. This work has helped us develop a patient pathway app, ‘Meeting the Needs of BME People’, which supports staff in understanding and responding sensitively to the needs of BME patients.