As we approach the end of Black History Month we are delighted to share that Practice Development Nurse Ferdinand has been presented with the South East Royal College of Nursing Black History Month ‘Making a Difference Award’. This is testament to his passion and drive to address the inequalities in nursing for BAME staff.
Nominated by his colleague Joanna Holland, Ferdinand has been with the Trust for 20 years and currently works in the Sussex Kidney Unit as the Renal Educator. He recently joined the South East Royal College of Nursing branch with a diversity remit, and has been attending Royal College of Nursing events to share his understanding of working in the NHS as a BAME staff member.
Speaking about his nomination, Joanna said: “Ferdinand goes above and beyond to ensure that his team have the knowledge and understanding to deliver high quality care in a compassionate manner. He is kind, approachable, caring and good fun to work alongside. He is an advocate for supporting the careers of black, Asian and minority ethnic colleagues, especially supporting staff seeking promotion. During Covid-19 he helped colleagues to understand the fears that BAME staff have working in nursing, and supported our Trust to ensure risk assessments were carried out on those staff most at risk.”
Ferdinand was surprised and extremely pleased to receive the award, which he says is the only thing he has won except for the lottery!
Watch a video with Ferdinand chatting about his award and give it a ‘like’ to show your support.
Over the past year we have made a number of differences to the way we support our BAME staff in response to colleague feedback, from introducing BAME COVID-19 Support Volunteers to listen to concerns and provide advice and guidance through COVID, to the launch of the new BAME staff network, SOAR. To find out more, please get in touch with Barbara Harris.
