Celebrating Pride month at NHSPS

Pride Month exists to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community and reminds us, historically, those within the community have often been marginalised and even persecuted for their identity and their personal relationships. It’s important to understand many milestones that may be taken for granted by anyone not in the LGBTQ+ community have only been possible for anyone who identifies as LGBTQ+ in more recent years. Despite this progress, however, the LQBTQ+ community still face barriers to many rights and access to opportunities.

Today, barriers to equal rights and opportunities remain only some of the negative experiences that the LGBTQ+ community face. The problem of misconceptions and poor assumptions about the community remains prevalent and can often affect their daily lives including in the workplace. To overcome these ongoing inequalities and struggles, it is crucial that we have open conversations in the workplace about the LGBTQ+ experience, sharing with and educating colleagues so that they can help to create a more welcoming working environment for all.  

We are committed to improving diversity for all under-represented groups at all levels of NHSPS, this will only work with a truly inclusive environment where everyone feels they are valued regardless of their background or experiences. As our next step towards this goal, I am delighted to announce we have partnered with Stonewall to become one of their Diversity Champions. We will work with Stonewall using their expertise within and beyond Pride month, to ensure our People and Talent Acquisition policies as well as our general practices support our LGBTQ+ candidates, colleagues, and customers to create an inclusive working environment.

This will be an important early step towards our aspiration that we become a role model in our sector, leading the way for our peers in demonstrating the case for diversity and the obvious advantages of a truly inclusive working culture.