Guy’s and St Thomas’ celebrates its diverse workforce

Guy’s and St Thomas’ has been celebrating its staff who have a disability, long-term health condition or neurodiversity.

For the first time, 15 members of staff graduated from the Calibre Leadership Programme. It was delivered by Dr Ossie Stuart, an international disability consultant and academic, in partnership with the Trust’s equality, diversity and inclusion team.

The course was open to all staff in a range of roles – both clinical and non-clinical – who identify as neurodiverse or disabled, or who have a long-term physical or mental health condition.

The programme allowed participants to share experiences with colleagues, learn about their legal rights and responsibilities and engage with a new way of thinking about their condition in the workplace. 

Staff with disabilities, a long term health condition or neurodiversity face unique challenges, and the Calibre programme equips them with leadership skills that enable them to thrive in a variety of roles and positions.

Amanda Harrison, a practice development nurse and Chair of the staff dyslexia and neurodiverse forum, graduated from the programme.

She said: “The Calibre programme was an eye opener and has given me the skills and confidence to speak up and apply for leadership roles that I would never have considered. We need people to see our talents and what’s in front of them – we have a unique set of skills and can look at things with creativity.

“People with a disability face barriers created by society and the environment – by making reasonable adjustments in the workplace, we can remove those barriers which benefits everyone.”

Staff who took part attended several online sessions and completed a personal project, which they presented at a graduation ceremony.

Manal Sadik, Associate Director for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at Guy’s and St Thomas’, said: “I am really proud of all our staff who graduated from the Calibre Leadership Programme. We recognise that marginalised groups have experiences and stories to tell, which we can learn from to make improvements. One of the ways to feel included is to make sure we have the right support in place when staff disclose a disability, and ensure staff have fair opportunities to be able to enhance their skills and thrive – ensuring everyone’s voice is heard.”