Our commitment to being an anti-racist organisation

To be anti-racist means to actively oppose racism, promote racial tolerance and identify racist behaviours and attitudes. Being non-racist is no longer an option. It is our duty to actively promote the founding principle of equality and social justice that are at the heart of our NHS.

South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SECAmb) and all UK Ambulance organisations have committed to becoming anti-racist organisations. As a values driven organisation, we believe that all individuals matter and are dedicated to the seeing people flourish in their roles.  We recognise that whilst there has been a strong commitment to create a fair and equal society, racism and racial inequalities still exist and impact in our everyday lives. This is also perpetuated within organisational structures and health inequalities within our diverse communities. We have a role to play in actively addressing societal, systemic and everyday racism both in our organisations and in our wider community.

We will continue to challenge racism and better equip ourselves to understand the impact that it has, as well as actively and positively enhancing the values of a fair and equitable workplace, where diversity is the asset which helps drive SECAmb to success as a diverse and inclusive NHS employer.  We acknowledge the impact of institutional racism and the harm that this causes in our communities and to our colleagues as we see inequalities across our society.

We will work together to effectively remove bias, both unconscious and otherwise, and embed a culture of compassion, inclusion and respect in all Trust policies and processes, to ensure that our organisation mirrors the diverse communities we serve. It is only by doing this that we can improve the experience of our people and our communities. This work has already started and includes;

• Development and rollout of inclusive and compassionate leadership training for all managers.
• Active review of both our Recruitment and Disciplinary policies and practices.
• A focus on ensuring we attract a diverse range of candidates to our Board and senior leadership positions to enable us to become more representative of the communities we serve.
• Implementation of positive action programmes for under-represented groups.

We remain steadfast to our commitments to being an anti-racist organisation and accept that we must look in with humility, listen keenly, and act to effect real change. We encourage and support all our staff and partners to join us in this endeavour.

To us being an anti-racist means we acknowledge, challenge and effectively address all forms of racism wherever we find it, both collectively and individually. This includes Islamophobia, Antisemitism, ethnoreligious discrimination and xenophobia.  

The terms BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) or BME (Black and Minority Ethnic) are used repeatedly in our equality, diversity and inclusion work. We recognise that these terms are not unproblematic.  We are aware that these homogenous terms are incapable of capturing the multitude of experiences and culture that they encompass. At present, these terms are currently recognised within sector for reporting and have been adopted by our own networks. However, we will continue to consider the further divisions that such terms can pose as we move forward on our anti-racist journey.