#WYHRootOutRacism movement launches at the Trust
The Trust has today hosted the launch of the anti-racism movement #WYHRootOutRacism, led by the West Yorkshire and Harrogate Integrated Care System (ICS) and West Yorkshire Violence Reduction Unit, at its Fieldhead site in Wakefield.
Following a recommendation from the West Yorkshire and Harrogate ICS’ review in October 2020 into the impact of COVID-19 on health inequalities, the movement spotlights the lived experiences of racism by staff and allies from across West Yorkshire and Harrogate.
Over 500 organisations including the Trust, wider NHS, councils, West Yorkshire Police, Healthwatch, hospices, universities, housing associations, unions, and the voluntary community social enterprise sector have joined together to support the movement, which has been developed with colleagues from ethnic minority communities.
The Trust’s interim chief executive Mark Brooks, chair Angela Monaghan and Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES) organisational development lead Cherill Watterston attended the launch along with colleagues from supporting organisations across the region.
Interim chief executive Mark Brooks said: “We’re proud to say we are an anti-racist organisation. Our Trust values everyone equally but we acknowledge that racism and inequality exist and there is much more we need to do. We will not tolerate any form of racism, and pledge to proactively root out racism and tackle it head on. Our own ‘Race Forward’ campaign aims to improve experiences for staff by reducing incidents of bullying and harassment and making our workplaces safer places to be.
“As an organisation we take pride in our richly diverse workforce. By recruiting staff with a wealth of life experiences and backgrounds, we can better meet the needs of our equally diverse communities. We are accountable to our local communities and seek to involve a range of people in improving and developing our services to be more culturally sensitive at every opportunity.
“It is hoped the movement will give people the confidence to stand together and call out racism.”
Use #WYHRootOutRacism to follow the conversation and join the Root Out Racism movement on Twitter.
