Diversity award for Powys' maternity team
The Maternity Services team at Powys Teaching Health Board has been awarded a Bronze Distinction Award by Diverse Cymru for the work they have been doing to progress how they approach diversity and equality in the workplace for both staff and patients.
Representatives of the team travelled to Cardiff for an Awards Ceremony and Learning Day at Sophia Gardens to receive their award, as part of the Diverse Cymru Cultural Certification Scheme 2024.
Kate Evans, Interim Head of Midwifery & Sexual Health with Powys Teaching Health Board Maternity Services attended the ceremony. She commented: “We are absolutely delighted to accept a ‘Bronze Distinction Award’ which reflects our cultural competence journey so far as part of the Diverse Cymru Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Cultural Competence Certification Scheme.
“Over the last 12 months, Powys Maternity Services has joined the scheme and made significant progress and improvement in equality, diversity and inclusion within our service.”
“As part of the scheme we have been provided with staff awareness sessions led by Diverse Cymru which has enabled staff to challenge stereotypes and unconscious bias, and also completed a workbook to demonstrate progress of tackling equality, diversity and inclusion.”
The Cultural Competence Scheme has given the team the direction, guidance, and vision that it needs to both formalise the work and to constantly evolve. The workbook has guided direction and helped put ideas into practice.
Kate added: “We will now be reaching out to those groups that we traditionally have had little communication with to offer the opportunity to talk to them about our services and how it meets their needs.”
Photo: Receiving the award on behalf of the Maternity Services team are Kate Evans (centre) Interim Head of Midwifery & Sexual Health, Powys Teaching Health Board, along with Evie Doman, Local Safety Champion (Maternity) with Improvement Cymru (left) and Dr Gaynor Legall, Chair of The Heritage and Cultural Exchange