The Seacole Group
Annual Symposium 2025:
What next for EDI?
Rukshana (centre in blue jacket) next to Penny Dash (NHSE Chair) and Seacole Group members
The Seacole Group celebrated 5 years at the House of Lords. Seacole Group member Rukshana Kapasi shares her thoughts about the event.
The Annual Symposium was an inspiring end to the week. Having the opportunity to have direct candid conversations with those leading system transformation in healthcare is vital to take back into the Boardroom at this moment of change.
🟢 Sally Warren, Director General at the DHSC spoke of the focus of shifting services into neighbourhoods to effectively integrate needs and for the NHS to be more convenient.
🟢 Sir Julian Hartley authentically articulated his bold ambition to change the culture of the CQC and his mission to hardwire inequalities into the CQC-the appointments of Prof. Bola Owolabi, MRCGP MFPH(Hon), FRSPH and Dr Arun Chopra are a great demonstration of that commitment.
🟢 Penny Dash, Chair of NHSE highlighted the need to get upstream on primary prevention and the reality that providers will be destabilised in the process of making the ‘left shift’.
🟢 Roger Kline reminded us that a white band 5 is 25.6x more likely to get to band 9 in the NHS and provided a powerful case study using the stats in the reduction of NHS grievance data of why its in everyone’s interests to tackle racism. As always, Roger provided wise counsel of key questions to ask in the boardroom such as ‘what level of confidence do you have that when this is done it will achieve your aim’
🟢 Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust case study was a phenomenal example of the untapped potential to use ambulance data to highlight inequalities-thanks Andrew Chang FCMA BSc
🟢 The digital panel discussion chaired by Ruchi Singh highlighted key questions to ask around digitalisation and AI and emphasised that if you don’t currently know the standard of care you are providing, digital technology risks reinforcing existing inequalities.
Heartfelt thanks to the Seacole Group Chair, for your steadfast leadership and support. It was amazing to connect with my tribe of leaders across the NHS driving change to achieve greater equity
The Seacole Group in partnership with
Roger Kline OBE launched its groundbreaking report:
Not An Optional Extra
​This report has been commissioned by the Seacole Group against a backdrop of hostile rhetoric and action from Governments abroad, public hostility in the UK around immigration and at a time of significant upheaval and financial pressure in the NHS.
As NHS leadership capacity is increasingly absorbed by these ever-present challenges, it is vital that the discussion and action to reduce health inequity through the best treatment of our NHS Black, Asian and ethnic staff remains the highest of priorities.
The information in this concise and compelling report provides further evidence that supports the case for tackling discrimination in our NHS workforce, the cost and damage to productivity of not doing so and even more importantly, the opportunities that facing into our EDI challenges can bring.