Oxford Health’s Head of Inclusion Mohamed Patel has been shortlisted for the Compassionate and Inclusive Leader award in the National BAME Health & Care Awards. This award is for a leader who:

“creates a culture where staff feel safe to be themselves and where everyone feels inspired to achieve their best. They ‘raise the bar’ to ensure that the whole service responds to the needs of BAME patients and communities. They are prepared to innovate, challenging the system where necessary while rewarding and encouraging good practice as it develops.”

Mo, as he is known to everybody at Oxford Health, has been at the trust since December 2013. He, and the Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Team support staff, patients and communities in many practical ways, from policy development and cultural change programmes to providing the interpreting services and delivering training, conferences (as in the picture above) and staff network events, amongst many other areas.

Both the NHS Long-Term Plan and the People Plan emphasise that developing a positive, inclusive and people-centred culture, where diversity is respected and valued, is an essential aspect of achieving the NHS ambitions over the next 10 years.

Executive Managing Director of Mental Health Services & Learning Disabilities Debbie Richards said:

“I am delighted that Mo has been recognised in the National BAME awards. Mo’s inspirational and inclusive leadership is exemplary. His engaging sessions on induction, his workshops and skilled facilitation of our staff networks encourage us all to make our Trust a great place to work and thrive for all. We are fortunate to have staff from all over the world and we strive to celebrate and value this diversity. Mo and his small team are doing tremendous work to ensure that Oxford Health becomes truly inclusive which is a significant priority for our Board.”

Chief Nurse Marie Crofts said:

“This nomination is so deserved; I’m delighted for Mo. I have been working closely with Mo on our Race Equality ‘Framework for Change’ and Mo and his team pulled all the stops out to develop an extraordinary innovative programme of events for Black History Month. This was so valued and very well attended, particularly in light of Black Lives Matter and how Covid-19 has disproportionately impacted on BAME communities. We have a lot of work to do and Mo is always at the front to support and help make Oxford Health a better place to work. Well done Mo!”

Mo said:

“I’m delighted to have been shortlisted. It’s so good to be appreciated in this way. With everything we’ve been through this year, it makes it even more special.

“The EDI Team has been working hard to support staff, service users and communities during these difficult times. We have been gratefully overwhelmed by the positive response we’ve received to all our engagement initiatives. Thanks to everyone behind and in-front of the scenes for making everything work so efficiently. And thanks to all our friends, colleagues and well-wishers for their kindness of heart and generosity of spirit. My dream and vision is to achieve excellence in EDI, and with everyone’s support, we can.”

The National BAME Health & Care Awards is being organised by Colourful Healthcare, a not-for profit-company dedicated to encouraging the aspirations and improving the professional development opportunities of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Staff in the Health and Care fields. The awards celebrate the progress made in supporting BAME staff to thrive in our organisations. Award winners need to demonstrate that they have made a positive and sustainable difference to the lives of BAME people, staff, patients, service users or communities.

The winners for the Compassionate and Inclusive Leader category will be revealed in a virtual ceremony on April 15.  See more on the BAME Awards website.