Want to increase your cultural awareness?

Ruby, the Diversity & Inclusion Project Manager at LYPFT kindly shares information about training sessions coming up over the next few months:-

The Diversity & Inclusion Team at Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust are holding a series of development sessions for staff supporting people from different communities over the coming few months.  Named ‘Working Effectively With…’, these sessions aim to increase cultural awareness, skills and knowledge when working with people from the following groups:

• Deaf and Hard of Hearing
• Blind and Partially Sighted
• Refugees & Asylum Seekers                                                 
• Trans People (you can read a review of this here)
• Language Interpreters.

(Click on each to see details of the dates and session overview)

Our Trust provides services in a range of places across Leeds, York and North York; there are many communities, with a range of backgrounds and experiences.  We know that some communities are affected by inequalities in health: social isolation; struggle to access health services; may have poorer experiences and health outcomes; and, often poor communication and awareness of services can be barriers.

As a Trust, we are committed to Improving Health, Improving Lives.  We aim to deliver services that are inclusive – where staff have an understanding of the cultural, social, political and individual issues that affect people so that we can provide services that meet needs appropriately.

The development sessions are facilitated by professionals with expert knowledge and experience of working with these groups of people and offer invaluable scope and opportunity to share learning and best practice. Key, current issues, communication, language, culture, acceptable/unacceptable traditions and behaviours, the impact of barriers to accessing services and poor experiences form the basis of interactive discussions.

A case study approach and discussions relating to real-life issues or difficulties enhance learning and expert facilitators are on hand to provide guidance for any service related issues or cases.

Feedback from previous sessions remains consistently positive and rated highly by staff who feel these have provided a rich and invaluable learning experience and can confidently state they have gained new knowledge as well skills to assimilate the learning in the workplace.

Firm commitment to taking forward the learning and sharing with other team members is made and role model the behaviours and cultures discussed. The increase in knowledge and awareness enables staff to communicate sensitively whilst not making assumptions and to confidently ask open questions on matters or issues on which there is less clarity.

If you have any questions please post here, or email ruby.bansel@nhs.net