Cracking the Bamboo Ceiling by Francis Lao, Victor Do, Victor Do, Marck Mercado, Gian Agtarap, Esther Kim, Yipeng Ge, Amy Tan, Ivy Oandasan, and Ming- Ka Chan

Racism is a public health crisis (1,2,3). The COVID-19 pandemic has spotlighted racial disparities. In Canada, the highest proportions of deaths due to COVID-19 existed in neighborhoods with higher proportions of visible minorities (34.5 deaths per 100,000 in neighborhoods where >25% are visible minorities, in comparison to 16.9 deaths per 100,000 in neighborhoods where <1% […]

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“Is it IMG friendly?”: Facing the truths you won’t want to hear by Kim Nurse

This last month, thousands of hardworking junior doctors across the country found out whether they had secured national training numbers. Now understandably, trainees have many questions; where’s good for training, teaching or social life, yet surprisingly the question seen all too commonly across numerous social media channels was: “Which hospitals are IMG friendly?” International Medical […]

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The value of health professional networks in tackling vaccine hesitancy; an engagement exercise with the Chief Medical Officer by Samia Latif and colleagues

‘If you want to go fast, go alone If you want to go far, go with others’ (African proverb) Much has been said and written about vaccine hesitancy and health inequalities in Black, Asian, and ethnic minority (BAME) communities, particularly during the Covid pandemic. Lower vaccine uptake and access to health services by BAME communities […]

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Can Swiss Cheese Modelling be used to design processes that protect against workplace discrimination? by Ali Raza

According to the ‘Swiss Cheese Model’ propounded by James Reason, complex systems can yield losses when flaws in defences against hazards become aligned. Flaws in latent conditions at the ‘blunt’ organisational end permit active failures to be committed at the ‘sharp end’ by individuals (1). The ‘Swiss Cheese’ approach has commonly been regarded to have […]

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‘Merit’ and diversity are not alternatives by Roger Kline

Following on from the powerful blog “After the speeches…” that outlined actions needed to reduce discrimination, we are delighted to publish the final blog of a ten part blog series by Roger Kline with suggestions on how to tackle structural racism in the NHS. “BME representation on the Trust Board has been discussed and considered […]

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Any messages for the NHS from Priti Patel’s exoneration? by Roger Kline

Following on from the powerful blog “After the speeches…” that outlined actions needed to reduce discrimination, we are delighted to publish part nine of a ten part blog series by Roger Kline with suggestions on how to tackle structural racism in the NHS. Bullying in healthcare undermines patient care and safety making staff less willing […]

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It helps to know “why” before you do “what” by Roger Kline

Following on from the powerful blog “After the speeches…” that outlined actions needed to reduce discrimination, we are delighted to publish part eight of a ten part blog series by Roger Kline with suggestions on how to tackle structural racism in the NHS. In the Second Wave of COVID-19 the NHS is committed to avoid […]

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Belated recognition for amazing contribution to medical science by Evonne Hunt

It’s the end of September 2020 and my colleagues Leslieann Osborn, Director of Wellbeing and Community Engagement and Cintia Bailey, Senior Communications Manager, are suggesting activities to celebrate Black History Month in October.  We agree to hold a virtual Book Club and one of the suggested books is The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by […]

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Diversity must be underpinned by inclusion and psychological safety by Roger Kline

Following on from the powerful blog “After the speeches…” that outlined actions needed to reduce discrimination, we are delighted to publish part seven of a ten part blog series by Roger Kline with suggestions on how to tackle structural racism in the NHS. In 2012 Google set out to answer a simple question “What makes […]

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Reframing imposter phenomenon by Rageshri Dhairyawan

“Imposter phenomenon” – the phenomenon of feelings of persistent self-doubt, or fear of being found out as a fraud – has attracted much attention in recent years. It encompasses a wide range of experiences and is said to be commonly experienced by healthcare professionals. Solutions to imposter phenomenon frequently emphasise ways in which individuals can […]

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