Sixty-nine colleagues celebrated graduating from Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust’s Resilience, Intelligence, Strength, and Excellence (RISE) programme.
They are the fifth cohort to complete the talent development programme designed to support colleagues from global majority backgrounds to progress their careers and enhance leadership skills.
EPUT launched RISE in 2021 as part of the Trust’s commitment to creating a fair and inclusive workplace for all and to provide equitable representation and opportunities for all staff members.
Since then, more than 250 members of staff have completed the programme which also gives those taking part coaching, mentoring and the opportunity to carry out quality improvement projects to make changes that enhance the quality of care EPUT provides for its patients.
Paul Taylor, Director of Organisational Development and Culture at EPUT, said: “We benefit from having a diverse workforce with an incredible breadth of talent – the RISE programme plays a vital role in bringing this to light, elevating potential and supporting colleagues to explore their ambitions and take the next step in their careers while making improvements to benefit our patients, their families and carers.”
One of the recent graduates is Usman Choudhary, a Senior Healthcare Assistant. He said: “I have learned new communication skills, which help me to provide better care for our service users. I pushed myself to get into the programme so I could excel in my career and bring some better changes to the health care system and specifically in mental health wards.”
Another graduate, Chukwuebuka Jideofor, Advanced Community Mental Health Pharmacist, added: “RISE piqued my interest purely as I was interested in pursuing a leadership role and was aware of the barriers and challenges from a professional point of view that people from a global majority background can sometimes face.”
Zacharia Louis, Senior Physiotherapist, said that the programme had given him a wider perspective of what it means to be a leader. “It’s empowered me to stand as a leader and to focus on what I can provide. It’s given me the skills and behaviours to make that possible,” he said.
EPUT has shared learning from the RISE programme with other NHS Trusts and continues to develop the programme based on feedback from participants.