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CEMN Network
Newsletter | July 2022
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Welcome to the February edition of the Cultural and Ethnic Minorities Network (CEMN) Newsletter, our aim is to send out a newsletter on a quarterly basis to provide updates from the network and to advise you of future events and encourage you to share your news. |
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BHM Events in MTW
 An annual event recognising and celebrating the invaluable contributions of black people to British society ran in October 2023 in MTW.
The theme for 2023 was that of 'Saluting our Sisters' which highlights the crucial role black women have played in shaping history, inspiring change, and building communities in literature, music , fashion, sports, business, social, health and more and celebrated pioneering black women who have made remarkable contributions to healthcare.
Last October, we joined forces at MTW (mid and west Kent and Medway) to honour these exceptional individuals through a series of events that promote diversity and inclusion.
Our Event Lineup included:
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Women Who Lead : Celebrating the leadership of women in healthcare across Kent and Medway.
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Sheroes Among Us: Recognising outstanding black women who have made history.
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Eid Al-Fitr is celebrated by Muslims worldwide marking the end of the month-long dawn to sunset fasting of Ramadan.
How did we celebrate in our Trust?
The CEMN organised the Eid celebrations for all our staff on Monday 24th April at both sites - Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells.
The Cultural and Ethnic Minorities Network along with the Equality and Diversity, Retention and Well-being teams initiated the Eid celebration with tea trolley rounds on Monday at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells. It was a great success!
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Every year we celebrate various festivals from around the world, including DIWALI. This festival is all about lights, and is usually celebrated with family gatherings, lanterns and fireworks.
“The ancient Hindu promise of Diwali is that even in these difficult and sometimes dark days - light conquers darkness and good triumphs over evil”
The CEMN Network at MTW celebrated Diwali with all our staff with a display of Diwali festivities on Tuesday 14 November. We had a display of Diwali festivities at our kitchen canteen at both sites (Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells) and free Indian sweets to grab for all our MTW staff.
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The CEMN Network team extended a warm invitation to all network members, inviting them to partake in a festive Christmas event on December 22nd.
The night was brimming with joy, entertainment, lively tunes, and delicious food, creating the perfect atmosphere to bid farewell to the year together.
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IEN Listening Event with Jo Haworth
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Our Chief Nurse, Jo Haworth, conducted the listening events that took place on 15th July 2023 and 18th November 2023 for internationally educated staff and our staff from any ethnic minority backgrounds.
It was a great opportunity to meet with Jo and other members of this group, ideas were shared and improvements were heard. They were both well attended events.
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Throughout the year, we organized numerous well-attended speaker events, where various speakers explored topics concerning cultural, ethnic, and minority backgrounds, along with insights on accessing support when necessary.
Additionally, we seized the opportunity to gather and engage with all the committee members, discussing strategies on how to best support our network members.
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Thursday 21st March (12.30-1.30pm)
Please join us on 21st March 24 for a conversation with Maureen Choong, one of our non-executive members in the trust, and Janet Clark, Macmillan Engagement Lead for Southeast London. We'll delve into various aspects of cancer and emphasise the significance of early screening and diagnosis.
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This year marked the 75th anniversary of the arrival of HMT Empire Windrush. The passengers aboard the ship went on to play a crucial role in developing the NHS into the source of national pride that it is today.
At MTW, we expressed gratitude to the Windrush generation for influencing a richly diverse workforce that represented the different communities we served, collaborating with the EDI team. Colleagues were invited to commemorate Windrush Day with us on June 21, 2023, at the Maidstone Academic Centre. There was also a 'tree planting ceremony' in our grounds.
After serving traditional Caribbean refreshments, we aired the mini-documentary "Windrush: The Generation who Saved the NHS," highlighting the Windrush Generations’ journey within the NHS.
Stalls were set up from the CEMN network, wellbeing team, EDI team, and internationally educated nurses, allowing everyone to learn more about the teams involved in supporting our diverse community of colleagues.
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Provision for our muslim colleagues
Prayer space: Availability of Prayer/Quiet rooms in Maidstone and Tunbridge wells Hospitals at the Chapel. Temporary screens will be placed to separate areas for both men and women.
Halal Food availability: Catering team on both sites during the month of Ramadan are adding a choice of frozen halal plater (veg & non-veg) along with their hot food menu which can be purchased at the staff canteen and warmed up in the microwave stations on both sites.
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Playful Coaching
The OD team are running an amazing session which is so different to any other coaching or development sessions. The space allows personal development, team interaction and build confidence. Highly recommend a session. Please contact jenniehuntley@nhs.net
Do you want to experiment with being more creative and adaptive or are curious about how playfulness may help your teams to have the confidence to try new things?
Combining playfulness with work may help us adapt to change, harness our imagination to be innovative and allow us to realise our full potential as humans in the face of increasing technology/AI.
The OD team have been running weekly in person one hour ‘power of play’ experiments during February – there are 2 sessions left, you are welcome to join (see below) – just drop jenniehuntley@nhs.net an email to book on.
Mon 12/2/24 - MGH - 3pm to 4pm
Mon 26/2/24 - TWH - 3pm to 4pm
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"My experience with reverse mentorship has contributed significantly to my leadership journey by sharing and also listening and understanding challenging real-life experiences, It provided a safe space for honest conversations between peers just as much as between mentors and mentees. I continue to meet with my mentee and I truly appreciate his time, interest and expertise, and I feel that he listened and genuinely care. Overall, a well-rounded personal learning process". Luisa, Cohort 1 Mentor
EDI team have piloted "Reverse Mentoring Sessions" where, if you live with a long term health condition and/or are from an ethnic minority background, you can share real-life experiences through a mentoring relationship with a senior leader here at the Trust and grow together in a self development learning journey. If you are interested, please contact EDI team at mtw-tr.edi@nhs.net.
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Jack Richardson: new Freedom to Speak Up (FTSU) Guardian
In January, we introduced Jack Richardson, our new Freedom to Speak Up (FTSU) Guardian. Jack provides a way for colleagues to raise concerns they may not feel comfortable discussing with their line manager. This could include topics such as patient safety and respectful conduct, or potential instances of fraud. Jack can be contacted at mtw-tr.freedom2speak@nhs.net
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Sharing Wellbeing resources for the network
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