It’s fair to say that the last year has been a difficult one – not just for us at LSCFT, but across the NHS and society as a whole. It has been a year that has seen a divide between national agendas and the wishes and desires for positive promotion of inclusion, and the reality of social impact which has had an effect nationally and locally within our population. We as an organisation have felt the impact of this divide and seen the consequences this has had on our diverse workforce.
As Chief Executive, it was imperative to me that we continue to show to our service users, colleagues and communities that we remain unapologetically committed to the inclusion and belonging agenda. We hold our responsibility to drive change seriously.
Within the NHS there has rightly been scrutiny from the wider public on access times, quality of care and how we spend taxpayers’ money. Within LSCFT we take these obligations seriously and use our Quadruple Aim to steer us through decision making.
The work we are leading on within inclusion and belonging is important to each aim and is woven within each one. When we talk about uncompromising quality, this includes delivering care that reflects the needs of our diverse communities, challenging health inequalities, and reducing disparities within our workforce to create a more inclusive workplace.
Another key aspect of the learning and commitment for this year is about time and creating space. It is essential that we continue to nurture the trust that we have built at LSCFT over the years with our diverse communities and workforce and continue to dedicate time and spaces to truly listen and to challenge one another respectfully. We cannot lose sight of the benefits of allowing time to ask the right questions and have the right people to drive change.
Despite a challenging year LSCFT has achieved many positive changes for our local communities, however, you will see as you read this report that there is still a lot more work that needs to be done to ensure everyone that comes into contact with LSCFT has an inclusive experience. In striving for improved experience, we accept the need to drive change and understand our social responsibility in line with our belief that this is the right thing to do. It is because of this drive and commitment that we have seen change this year; we have achieved a positive difference that our colleagues have commented they can feel. Our ambition is to be a truly inclusive organisation. Our journey here at LSCFT is ongoing.
We can celebrate our journey so far and we feel the success of a changing culture that is creating an open and inclusive workspace.
We have more to do to increase the knowledge of our colleagues in relation to inclusion, implementing safety with an equitable lens and to becoming truly anti-racist.
We will continue to take steps on this pathway to ensure that we are serving our communities and challenging the inequities that our colleagues and service users face.
Chris Oliver
Chief Executive Officer
