Diversity and Division in the NHS – 2
from grangry blog:
As mentioned in a previous blog, at a time when the NHS was claiming to be desperately short of cash NHS Trusts country-wide are currently advertising for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Managers at rates of pay (up to £75,000 per annum) that would probably provide each Trust with a couple of extra nurses.
It has now been announced that NHS England has provided funding for the NHS Rainbow Badge Scheme, so that another 40 NHS trusts can ‘undertake the NHS Rainbow Badge assessment model’.
The NHS Rainbow Badge Scheme is a Stonewall-devised taxpayer-funded initiative in which ‘NHS staff who have pledged to provide support and signposting to LGBT+ people’ are rewarded with a badge to wear.
The pilot phase of NHS Rainbow Badge Scheme cost NHS England £70,000 as detailed in this extract from a rely to a FOI request::
NHS England holds information in relation to your request.
The NHS Rainbow Badge project (phase II) is piloting a benchmarking scheme
across 10 NHS Trusts to support LGBT awareness and inclusion, to improve
experience and to reduce inequalities for both LGBT staff and patients.The project is funded by NHS England who commissioned the LGBT Foundation,
through a competitive and open tender, to lead on the project on behalf of
the other partner organisations.The contract value to deliver all aspects of the programme is £70,000.
This includes funding to cover staffing costs, programme management costs
and overheads, engagement and focus groups, evaluation and production of
an end of project report.None of this budget is being used to fund the supply of rainbow badges,
lanyards or other related products in the participating trusts. We do not
have information on expenditure that individual trusts may spend on these
items.
The FOI request contained the following:
Up and down the country staff in NHS trusts can be seen wearing NHS rainbow badges and lanyards. The Royal United Hospital, Bath has revealed that it spent £2783 on rainbow lanyards and badges in 2019 and recently they have spent £12661 on posting a thank you card bearing the rainbow logo, and a Proud badge with the rainbow logo to every member of staff.
Clearly being a part of this scheme is expensive for a NHS Trust.
This is the link to the NHS England Contracts Advance for the NHS Rainbow Badge Scheme Phase 2, the value of the scheme is £220,000.
Recruitment has begun for Assessors for the Scheme:
Read also: Can the NHS be cured? by David Wright, TCW
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