In December 2024, the Employment Services Team worked in collaboration with the Diversity and Inclusion Team to develop the new inclusive recruitment toolkit. The toolkit was carefully designed to support managers at each stage of the recruitment process providing resources and guidance that will:

  • Increase the number and diversity of applicants for roles.
  • Showcase the Trust as an inclusive employer.
  • Improve the experience of candidates.
  • Reduce inequalities and meet the legal requirements on public sector organisations.
  • Support the appointment of the best applicants.
  • Improve patient care.

The inclusive recruitment toolkit and Recruitment and Selection Policy outline five mandatory elements that all recruiting managers must implement to ensure a supportive and inclusive recruitment process:

1. Interview questions provided to interviewee 30 minutes prior to interview.

2. Include (at least) one inclusive question and one value-based question.

3. Racial diversity on the panel. Where that cannot be achieved a recruitment champion is included.

4. The chair of the interview panel has attended recruitment and selection training.

5. Reasonable adjustments are proactively offered throughout the recruitment process.

The Employment Services Team refreshed the recruitment and selection training programme bringing the session in line with the inclusive agenda and changes to the Recruitment Policy. Due to high demand, the team increased the capacity on the training and number of sessions delivered per month. The team also worked with diversity and inclusion colleagues to deliver inclusive bite size recruitment training sessions to guide colleagues and managers through the inclusive recruitment toolkit and the mandated practices.

Recruitment champions

The recruitment champion role was also re-introduced in December 2024 as part of the launch of the inclusive recruitment toolkit. The role of a recruitment champion is to advocate for inclusive recruitment, helping create a workplace that reflects the population of Lancashire and South Cumbria. Anyone within the Trust can become a recruitment champion regardless of their role or band. Recruitment champions receive additional training on bias, cultural intelligence, micro aggressions and how to effectively and safely challenge. They have full support from the Diversity and Inclusion Team and Employment Services Team, as well as the Trust’s Chief People Officer. The Diversity and Inclusion Team deliver regular recruitment champion training where colleagues can attend and then make an informed decision on whether they wish to become a champion.

We Do More campaign

The We Do More advertisement campaign was introduced in 2022 and is well established within the organisation. The campaign is the organisation’s recruitment branding, and the aim is to raise our profile and increase our attraction rates. The We Do More branding is more targeted, more diverse, more dynamic and more person-centred than any previous Trust or NHS branding, with the message being that we are focused on the needs of the individual rather than the requirements of the job role.

Since the introduction of the We Do More branding, the Employment Services Team have continued to work with the Communications Team to develop the staff stories, photos and videos for the Trust website and social media channels with the aim to increase the exposure to our hard to fill posts. The branding and portfolio of 71 staff stories and photos showcases our diverse workforce and aims to encourage a more diverse audience to apply for roles. 

International Nurse Recruitment Programme

In the past year, the recruitment of internationally educated nurses (IENs) continued, growing our diverse workforce. Since the launch of the programme in December 2019, it has continued to grow successfully. The Trust has recruited a total of 214 nurses from diverse countries, with 192 remaining in post, retaining almost 90% of IENs. The Employment Services Team and practice educators work collaboratively to offer a supportive recruitment and onboarding experience and continue to connect with the nurses and support their integration and development. To date, 52 of the nurses have successfully developed their careers in Trust and progressed from their initial band 5 post into either a band 6 or band 7 post. 

This year the Trust has continued to offer a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) for healthcare support workers (HCSW), growing the diversity of the workforce. Employment services planned and co-ordinated various HCSW assessment centres, often attended by a high number of candidates with temporary residency status in the UK (from various countries). The Employment Services Team and the Practice Education Team continue to support the recruitment, onboarding and development of HCSWs with diverse backgrounds across the Trust. 

Leadership and team development

Leadership and culture remain central to the Trust’s strategic priorities. Through the provision of supportive development intervention programmes we are able to empower our staff, foster continuous improvement, and cultivate an environment where excellence in patient care and innovation can thrive.

Team Engagement and Development (TED) framework, originally developed by Lancashire Teaching Hospitals, supports the creation of high performing teams. TED equips leaders with diagnostic tools, practical techniques, and structured approaches to enhance engagement, effectiveness, and shared ownership. It also serves as a development vehicle to strengthen leadership capability and fosters psychologically safe environments where teams can thrive.

To date, 306 team leaders have been trained in TED, including 161 through the Flourish leadership development programme. This has resulted in 51 ‘true’ TED teams, those with a registered survey and at least three active participants - actively using the framework to shape their team culture.

Recognising the need to better understand how welcomed, included, and connected colleagues feel, the Trust is enhancing TED with a new Inclusion and Belonging Team diagnostic. This will inform team action planning and embed psychological safety, equity, and belonging at the heart of team development.

The revised programme will run over eight months and include three in-person workshops, one-to-one coaching, and structured support for team action planning. Leaders will explore team engagement fundamentals, inclusive facilitation, and reflective peer learning to build confidence in leading inclusive team conversations.

Team leaders will be nominated by network leadership teams, guided by 2024 National Staff Survey data and performance heat maps to identify teams most in need of focused support. The first pilot cohort will launch in quarter 4 2025/26. This enhanced approach aims to build leadership confidence and capability, strengthen engagement, and increase local accountability for inclusive team cultures.

In 2023 we began the implementation of a leadership development pathway that will consist of four programmes designed to meet development needs at different stages in people’s careers – three of the four are now live.

Flourish

Flourish is specifically designed for those leading teams, managing projects, or influencing others. The programme aims to cultivate compassionate leadership, embed inclusive practices, and promote wellbeing as core leadership values. The programme is structured to help leaders understand their personal impact on team performance and organisational culture. It encourages reflection, peer learning, and practical application of leadership principles. To date, 171 colleagues have completed this six-day programme.

Connect

Also launched in 2023 is Connect, a management development programme that is a skills-based training offer. It is specifically designed to guide managers in their operational delivery as well as getting them to think about how to create environments where colleagues feel safe, supported and valued. To date, 215 colleagues have completed this eight session programme.

Feedback across programmes has been overwhelmingly positive, reinforcing the Trust’s commitment to inclusive leadership and continuous development. The emphasis on allyship within Connect and Flourish further supports a culture where all colleagues feel seen, heard, and empowered.

Aspire

More recently, Aspire launched to support aspiring and early-stage leaders in building foundational skills, understanding their NHS role, and embedding inclusive, wellbeing-focused leadership.

Mary Seacole Programme

The Trust continues to host the Mary Seacole Programme for the wider system, with 23 cohorts delivered to date and 105 LSCFT colleagues completing the programme since March 2022. Participation from primary care colleagues, including GPs and pharmacists, has recently increased. 

Overall, we aim for at least 13% of programme participants to be from B.A.M.E backgrounds, aligning with workforce representation goals. The Diversity and Inclusion Team works closely with the Organisational Development Team to promote opportunities through staff networks, site visits, and events.

While progress has been made, representation gaps remain. WDES data shows only 54.28% of disabled staff feel they have equal career progression opportunities, down from 58.09% the previous year. In response, the Trust is developing a talent management plan and coordinating development offers across staff networks to better support disabled colleagues.

Bite-size personal development workshops

To supplement this leadership and management development offer, the Trust also offers a suite of ‘bite-size’ personal development workshops covering practical skills and wellbeing topics. These continue to be popular with over 700 colleagues attending a selection of workshops. These have been expanded to support staff through organisational change, with sessions on managing change, CV writing, interview skills, and career coaching. An interactive workbook on managing change complements this offer.

Future Board - Immersive Leaders

The Trust acknowledges that its current Board and senior leadership do not yet reflect the diversity of the communities it serves. To address this, the Shadow Board Programme, commissioned by the Chief Operating Officer and delivered with the Inspiring Leaders Network (ILN), supports sub-board level staff in preparing for executive roles. Over the past two years, participants have engaged in simulated board environments and contributed to real strategic discussions, with feedback shared via the Shadow Chair.

The 2024/25 cohort reflects growing diversity amongst senior leadership, with 44% of participants from B.A.M.E backgrounds and 25% identifying as having a disability or long-term condition.

This year, eight colleagues joined ILN’s national Immersive Leaders Programme, supplemented by tailored “hotseat” experiences with executive directors to contextualise learning within LSCFT. The latest cohort includes 25% B.A.M.E participants, reinforcing our commitment to inclusive leadership development.

Looking ahead, the Trust aims to collaborate across the system to improve representation, aligning with NHSE succession planning and using system-wide data to inform targeted actions that support underrepresented groups into leadership roles.