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BME Staff Network
(Black & Minority Ethnic)

NHS Lothian embraces the rich diversity found in all areas of the health board. This reflects a growing diversity in the population we serve.  We are committed to eliminating discrimination and improving equality of opportunity; we know we have more work to do, and this is reflected in Corporate Objectives and associated workplans.

The values in NHS Lothian include Care, Compassion, Dignity and Respect and these emphasise how we treat both our patients and our staff.

What does BME mean?

Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) is the terminology normally used in the UK to describe people who are not from the majority white population. It can include people of African, Caribbean, Asian, Arab, First Nations/Indigenous (Australia/North and South America), or mixed descent, but also white minority ethnic groups such as Eastern Europeans and Gypsies, Roma and Travellers.

Next Wider Group Meeting

The next wider group meeting is Monday 25 November, 5-6.30pm. Email the network inbox (contact below) to be sent the meeting invitation.

Future wider group meetings:

• Monday 24 February, 5-6.30pm

NHS Lothian Transatlantic Slavery Recommendations Implementation Group

Members of NHS Lothian BME Staff Network are invited to express an interest in being one of the co-chairs of NHS Lothian Transatlantic Slavery Recommendations Implementation Group. We are also recruiting for members of the Implementation Group.

NHS Lothian and NHS Lothian Charity are joint descendants of the legacies of donations and endowments connected to the enslavement of people of African descent. The NHS Lothian Board has agreed to implement the Independent Advisory Group’s recommendations to address the legacy of slavery, help remove racism and inequality and to shape a positive future for everyone. Implementing the recommendations are a fundamental part of our work to become an anti-racist organisation.

The Implementation Group will be a diverse group of staff and people from our local communities working to advise on and steer the delivery of the Independent Advisory Group’s recommendations. It will have three co-chairs, who will work together to effectively lead the Implementation Group. A decision has been taken to have three co-chairs based on experience of what worked well in the Advisory Group. We will appoint two co-chairs from the NHS Lothian BME Staff Network and one from NHS Lothian Board Non-Executive members.

The co-chairs will work with the Equality & Human Rights Team to decide on the arrangements and business of the Implementation Group meetings and on the content of reports to the Corporate Management Team and any other outputs from the Group. Each co-chair will share responsibility for chairing meetings of the Implementation Group. 

Please contact Laura Hutchison & Rakiya Suleiman to express an interest in this role or being a member of the Implementation Group, or if you have any questions.

We also wanted to ensure you’re aware that we have published our new training video – Understanding Racism on NHS Lothian website. This is part of our continuing work to create an inclusive culture for the people who use our services and work for us. The video is available on NHS Lothian equality and human rights webpages and NHS Lothian staff equality and human rights education website (including a facilitator’s guide).