Last week, we hosted three thought-provoking and educational sessions with guest speakers including a presiding magistrate and the Chair of Black Police Association, who shared their lived experiences with our staff and answered their questions.

Our month of events launched with an opening ceremony on Tuesday 4 October, with remarks from our Chief Executive Matthew Trainer, and guest speaker Elizabeth Cuffy, Justice of the Peace.

On Thursday 6 October, we hosted a discussion about Identity and Imposter Syndrome, chaired by Ahmed Soliman, Deputy Medical Director Professional Standards, and Devesh Sinha, Chief Clinical Information Officer.

And the following day, we heard from Chris Excell, Chair of Black Police Association on his experiences in policing.

We were also delighted to start the month with the news that two of our nurses were named among London’s Rising Stars of 2022 by the Royal College of Nursing. One of them, Rabi Sani-Santos, spoke to Shay Grewal on BBC Radio London.

There are plenty of events planned by the BAME Network and Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) team throughout October to mark Black History Month, including our first Black History Month Star Awards to recognise colleagues who have had a positive impact on equality, diversity and inclusion within our Trust and our local communities.

We will share more on this with you as the month progresses.