Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion is central to everything we do at North London NHS Foundation Trust (NLFT). It enables us to deliver our Trust Strategy, People and Culture Strategy, Equity and Health Inequalities Strategy and supporting strategies.
We are committed to building an inclusive culture that is actively anti‑racist and where all our service users experience fairness and equitable access, treatment and outcomes. We want every colleague to feel they belong, to bring their authentic selves to work, and to be supported to reach their full potential. We take action to remove barriers and discrimination, and we are proud to be one of the most diverse organisations in the NHS.
As an anchor institution across Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Haringey and Islington, we want to lead by example. This means:
- creating a workplace where everyone feels they belong
- making sure our systems and processes are fair and remove barriers
- ensuring our leadership reflects the diversity of our communities
By focusing on equity, we recognise that people have different needs, backgrounds and experiences. Treating everyone the same is not always fair. Equity means giving people the right support, at the right time, so they can thrive.
When we remove barriers and address unfairness, we are better able to recruit, develop and retain a skilled, diverse and motivated workforce. This directly improves the quality of care and support we provide to our service users, carers and families.
We value the unique experiences, skills and perspectives that every colleague brings. Providing equity for our patients, carers and staff is essential to delivering safe, compassionate and high‑quality care and to being an employer of choice.
If you would like to learn more or get involved, please contact the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Team: nlft.equalities@nhs.net
Equity, and Health Inequalities Strategy 2026–2030
Our Equity, and Health Inequalities Strategy 2026–2030 builds on the progress made through our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (2022–2025).
It sets out how the North London NHS Foundation Trust will continue to tackle inequality, improve experiences and outcomes, and create fairer, more inclusive environment for staff, service users, carers and communities.
Our Strategy sits alongside theTrust’s “Our Five-Year Strategy 2023-2028” and Strategic Aims, as well as other supporting People and Organisational, Clinical, Digital and Carers strategies.
The Walkthrough will help you to understand the thinking behind the strategy.
People and Organisational Development Strategy 2023-2026
Our three-year People and Organisational Development Strategy’s purpose is to work with our communities to improve the mental health of people in the five boroughs we serve.
This Strategy supports our overall Trust Strategy, as well as other underpinning strategies, such as our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy and Clinical Strategy. These describe what is needed for the organisation to thrive and become a high performing organisation, for the benefit of our service users, carers, staff, and communities.
Read the North London Mental Health Partnership People and Organisational Strategy 2023-2026 [pdf] 2MB
Anti-Racism Statement
The North London NHS Foundation Trust (NLFT) will identify and take action to tackle structural racism and wider health inequalities, embedding reflection and learning at all levels.
The Trust is committed to embedding an overt strong anti-racism approach:
- in the places where our people work
- in the provision of the care, we provide
- across all systems of health and care we deliver for the people of North Central London
We openly acknowledge the repeated negative experiences of staff from multiple ethnic groups within our NHS health and care system.
We recognise that these lived experiences arise from embedded policies, practices, and processes, many of which have become normalised and unchallenged in our systems; representing (for staff) institutionalised racism.
We further acknowledge that racism serves as an issue in and of itself, but also as a surrogate for discriminatory practices against other characteristics such as gender, sexual orientation, religion, belief, disability, and others that can detrimentally intersect for individuals.
As set out in our Strategy, and our People and Organisational Development Strategy and Equity and Health Inequalities Strategy, we will create environments where all our staff can be their authentic selves and thus deliver to their best potential and progress to their ultimate goals.
We commit to actively seeking to identify, measure and call out discriminatory practice and to take steps to deal consistently and effectively with poor behaviour where present in any of our staff or organisations. We will not be complicit by silence.
The NHS England – London Promise
- We will listen and hear when staff raise concerns
- We will choose to be curious, humble and considerate and avoid defensive thinking. We will take action where discrimination is evident
- We will pro-actively co-design new systems with staff and stakeholders and institute polices, practices and cultural expectations for belonging and inclusion
- We will embed a strategic approach to commissioning to help reduce systemic bias, focused on creating the right environment for reducing systemic bias in commissioning that will improve patient care and experience
- We will hold ourselves accountable, individually and collectively, as leaders to delivering to these commitments
Equality Statement
We are committed to the elimination of unlawful and unfair discrimination and value the differences that a diverse workforce brings to the organisation.
We aim to be a fair employer and strive to achieve equality of opportunity for all, creating inclusive workplace environments where everyone can work effectively towards the provision of better healthcare.
As a Trust, we have a comprehensive policy framework, setting out how it will work to deliver high quality services to all in fair and equitable ways, including our Equality Diversity and Inclusion Policy.
Read our EDI Policy
Patient and Carers Race Equality Framework (PCREF)
PCREF is the Patient and Carers Race Equality Framework. It is a national NHS framework designed to help mental health services improve the experiences, access, outcomes and involvement of racialised communities.
At the North London NHS Foundation Trust, PCREF is about more than meeting a national requirement. It is about listening to service users, carers and communities, understanding where inequalities exist, and taking action to improve services.
Our PCREF page includes information about our approach, governance and supporting documents.
North London NHS Foundation Trust Patient and Carer Race Equality Framework (PCREF)
Patient and Carers Race Equality Framework Report [pdf] 2MB
Patient and Carer Race Equality Framework (PCREF) Action Plan 2025-2026 [pdf] 392KB
EDI Legislation
The Equality Act 2010
The Equality Act 2010 came into force on 1 October 2010. It brings together over 116 separate pieces of legislation into one single Act making it easier to understand and apply. The nine main pieces of legislation that have merged are:
- the Equal Pay Act 1970
- the Sex Discrimination Act 1975
- the Race Relations Act 1976
- the Disability Discrimination Act 1995
- the Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003
- the Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003
- the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006
- the Equality Act 2006, Part 2
- the Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2007
The Act protects people from discrimination, harassment and victimisation. It also sets out the behaviours that are unlawful under the law.
The nine protected characteristics are personal characteristics are Age, Disability, Gender Reassignment, Marriage and Civil Partnership, Pregnancy and Maternity, Race, Religion or Belief, Sex, and Sexual Orientation.
At the North London NHS Foundation Trust, we also recognise that some groups may experience inequality or disadvantage in different ways. This can include carers, people experiencing homelessness, travelling communities, asylum seekers, refugees, people living in poverty and people in contact with the criminal justice system.
The Equality Act helps us to make sure that our services, workplaces and decision-making are fair, inclusive and accessible for everyone.
The Human Rights Act 1998
The Human Rights Act 1998 protects the fundamental rights and freedoms of everyone in the UK. It brings the rights set out in the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) into UK law.
The Act covers a range of rights, with each Article focusing on a different Article focusing on a different area, such as dignity, privacy, freedom of expression and protection from discrimination.
For mental health services, the Human Rights Act is particularly important. It helps make sure that people are treated fairly, respectfully and with dignity, including individuals detained under the Mental Health Act.
At the North London NHS Foundation Trust, we take these rights into account in both employment and service delivery.
