We cannot stay silent about bias and discrimination in the workplace
Intended for healthcare professionals
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We cannot stay silent about bias and discrimination in the workplace

Barry Quinn Consultant editor, Nursing Management

The adage that if I deny or am unaware of my own biases (‘isms’) then the chances are that I will act them out remains true. Central to the richness of life and of being human is the ability to recognise and celebrate one’s own beliefs and values, while learning from and responding to the beliefs and values of others.

Nursing Management. 27, 5, 5-5. doi: 10.7748/nm.27.5.5.s1

Published: 24 September 2020

But as the feature on tackling casual racism and microaggression in the NHS on page 14 strongly suggests, it is time to move from a place of unconscious complicity to a place of action.

A recent King’s Fund report on racism in the NHS, surveys from Stonewall and disability groups support this need.

As nurses and midwives, we learn from and are an important part of the diverse society we serve. We may recognise that our own unconscious or deliberate comments or gestures can hurt or offend other people. But it is also time to acknowledge that to remain silent in the face of another’s casual racism is unacceptable; it means we remain complicit bystanders.

In the feature, Yvonne Coghill describes her ‘7As of authentic allyship’, which include asking questions to learn from the answers, accepting there is a problem and acknowledging it needs to be addressed, apologising for the ongoing hurt and having the courage to take action.

There is more work to be done to ensure the nursing profession becomes more welcoming and inclusive. If we apply the principles of allyship to ethnicity, sexuality, gender and all other forms of diversity, ours can become a more inclusive profession – and we can move closer to applying the principle of person-centred care in our approach to one another as well as to those we serve.

We can do this by taking the time to learn from others and reflecting on the beauty of humanity that shines through its diversity.

‘If we apply the principles of allyship ours can become a more inclusive profession’

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