The new strategy has been co created with input from employees across the business at all levels, with the aim of making this important area of work a part of everybody’s everyday.
To ensure the strategy remains at the heart of Ascenti, CEO Stephanie Dobrikova is the main sponsor and progress is tracked quarterly at executive level.
Stephanie said: “As a healthcare organisation, social purpose sits at our core and we care deeply about addressing health inequalities and building an organisational culture that creates a sense of belonging for everyone.”
With this new strategy in place for the next three years, Ascenti will continue its ambition to create a more inclusive future, inside the business and beyond.
The strategy has been developed with five key focus areas that highlight different elements of the business. These are:
People and Workplace – encompasses how the business works to create a culture in the organisation that is fair, inclusive and where our employees feel protected.
Talent Management – encompasses building diverse teams, promoting equity of opportunity for all, talent advertisement and selection, and salary and pay gaps.
Patients and Services – This is all about ensuring the service Ascenti provides patients is built to be accessible to all, including treatment environments with the aim of removing inequalities and barriers. At its core, every patient should feel respected and positive about their treatment with us, and all staff are trained in safeguarding.
Data and Services – Understanding our employees, patients and Ascenti’s commitment to data usage.
Accountability – Ensuring that Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is part of daily life within the business for everyone involved, promoting a culture of confidence to share any concerns, and regular reporting both internally and externally.
The People and Workplace workstream was the first to kick off, involving an online forum for staff to discuss issues within the workplace – this was attended by upwards of 80 staff, exploring themes including: fairness and inclusivity around our policies and practises, what more can we do to protect staff at all levels from abuse, and how we can continue to improve our education for our staff, patients and the wider community. Feedback from these discussions will be used to help shape the strategy and identify areas for improvement.
You can find out more about the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Strategy on our website here, and can download the strategy in full here.
