Since 2019, Royal Trinity Hospice has been working with the National Centre for Diversity using the FREDIE framework:
Fairness
Respect
Equality
Diversity
Inclusion
Engagement.
This has included ongoing self-assessment, carrying out equality impact assessments, and holding monthly ‘FREDIE fortnights’. During these fortnights, the hospice holds events and workshops to raise awareness of issues surrounding protected characteristics. The hospice has a FREDIE steering group, which anyone can join.
In 2021 the National Centre for Diversity listed Trinity at number 70 in its index of the Top 100 Most Inclusive Workplaces.
During lockdown, the news reporting around COVID-19 raised everyone's awareness of the poor health outcomes for people from Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic communities compared with the rest of the UK population. Following the murder of George Floyd the Black Lives Matter campaign increased its global activism.
All of this, alongside the hospice's longstanding commitment to the FREDIE framework, led to the hospice taking decisive action. Royal Trinity committed to identifying and tackling racism where it occured in the workplace.
Staff feedback
Open meetings were held for all staff to attend, to discuss the topic and share how they and their colleagues had experienced racism.
Feedback was that although the hospice had a FREDIE policy, not enough was being done to support staff who were witnessing or experiencing racism and microaggressions from customers, patients or colleagues.
There was a sense that:
people were not inclined to report racism where it occurred
there was low confidence that something would be done about racism
it was unclear whether anything could be done to tackle racism in patient/staff or carer/staff scenarios.
What did the hospice do?
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The hospice developed a one-year action plan in 2020. This included a range of measures.
A staff steering group dedicated to tackling racism (this includes senior management).
Conducting an all-staff survey on race and racism at work. This aimed to inform the steering group's actions. The survey included direct questions about witnessing and experiencing discrimination.
A dedicated hub on the intranet, which everyone could contribute to.
Workshops for all staff on understanding racial bias, led by an external facilitator.
Celebrating Black History Month with a variety of events and workshops.
Producing an Ethnicity Pay gap report.
The hospice has continued to submit its actions and processes to external scrutiny and certification. This includes developing a FREDIE action plan to work towards Investing in Diversity re-accreditation.
Staff were surveyed on multiple occasions so they could share concerns and the hospice could monitor whether things were improving.
A “Report it. Sort it” campaign was launched in 2023 to encourage staff to raise issues about racism and all forms of unacceptable behaviour.
The hospice’s policy on unacceptable behaviour has been revised. Action learning sets help ensure staff know how to follow and implement the policy when required.
What has the hospice achieved?
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This work has resulted in hospice teams being more able to have difficult conversations. There are opportunities for staff to speak confidentially about their experiences of workplace culture and this informs the actions taken.
The hospice makes a tangible outward expression of its commitment to tackling racism. This is a base for wider organisational discussion and challenge about all protected characteristics.
Engagement in staff surveys has increased from 67% to 80%. The hospice has a People Plan, which is informed by feedback from staff surveys. A third of staff across Royal Trinity have participated in workshops to help the hospice work towards becoming an Employer of Choice.
There is improved retention of staff. People from Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic communities are better represented in management/senior roles (from 5% to 20%). This is a better reflection of the communities the hospice serves.
Tips and advice
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Think about what you really want to achieve. Do you have the budget and capacity to do the work required to get there? What will success look like?
Are you collecting the right data to know if and when you have reached your goal? Are you committed to acting on what you find out?
Taking steps towards diversity and inclusion requires an organisational culture shift. Think about how you will prepare everyone for this.
Set out a timeline for the project. It’s essential to have a Steering Group to keep momentum.
You need buy-in from senior leaders. Trinity has specifically focused on and raised the profile of anti-racism through its FREDIE work. The Executive Team and Board of Trustees issued a statement on their commitment to rooting out structural racism in everything the hospice does. They have committed to keeping it regularly updated.
FREDIE needs to be a golden thread running through everything you do. You need to be authentic – live up to the standards you have set!
If you don’t think your hospice has a problem with staff from Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic communities feeling uncomfortable at work, it might be because you haven’t asked the question. Or you might not have created an environment where staff feel able to express their experiences. We all need to get comfortable with feeling uncomfortable. Commit to tackling the issues for real sustainable change and progress.
