The Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership Trust has been recognised with a gold award for its work to create and sustain an inclusive workplace culture for staff.
The Talent Inclusion and Diversity Evaluation (TIDE) TIDEmark Awards measure an organisation’s approach and progress to diversity and inclusion.
They are awarded by the Employers Network for Equality and Inclusion (enei).
TIDE is a diversity and inclusion benchmarking tool which looks at the whole organisation, including workforce, strategy, leadership, recruitment, training and communication.
It allows the organisation to understand their current position in relation to diversity and inclusion, and focus their efforts on areas that will have the greatest impact.
As of 31st December 2022, the Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership Trust’s workforce was made up of 76% women and 24% men, 14% of the workforce identified as from an ethnic minority background, 8% as disabled and 6% as LGBTQ+.
Out of the 171 TIDEmark entries this year, the AWP Trust is one of only 15 organisations that have attained the Gold Standard Award for the second year in a row.
It is the sixth consecutive year that the Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Trust has entered the awards, receiving bronze in 2018, silver in 2019, 2020 and 2021, and gold in 2022.
Sarah Constantine, Medical Director and Chair of the Trustwide Equality, Inclusion and Diversity Network said: “We are delighted to be once again recognised by enei for the steps we are taking on our journey as we embed equality diversity and inclusion into all areas of the Trust.
“That said, we are always learning about equality and diversity and we still have some way to go and work to do.
“This award is a testament to our EDI lead who has worked tirelessly to drive change within the Trust, and for all those who have shared their stories and championed change.”
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Lead Mayur Bhatt said: “Here at AWP, we want to move to having a culture which is not just inclusive but an organisation where people really feel they belong.
“We know that as an organisation our diversity makes us stronger, it brings us closer to our communities and helps us build better relationships within our teams, with our service users and partners.”
Julian Feasby Director for People added: “Diversity is something to celebrate, and we are proud to be an organisation that welcomes and values diversity, and the wealth of knowledge and skills that come with it.
“We want to create a strong culture where everyone feels valued for the contribution they make, where people feel connected with the organisation and can be their authentic self.”
