Page 20 - IDF Journal 2023

IDF News – Spring 2023
Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Support (DIBS) Group Report
Our Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Support group continues to meet regularly and is comprised of Dr Phil Batty (Co-Chair), Dr Nelda Frater (Co-Chair), Dr Helen Read and interested staff members. The group felt they had matured enough to be able to continue independently following the framework provided by Blue Tulip Consultancy.
There are regular BAME support group meetings which provide a safe and confidential place for discussion and shared experiences. These are facilitated by Dr Nelda Frater. Neurodiversity is
a particular common issue amongst our profession and creates significant challenges for that community.
Dr Helen Read is leading support for our neurodiverse members.
Phil Batty and Nelda Frater meet regularly with the CQC regarding the particular challenges of our BAME colleagues,
who may have specific practice demographics, which are not factored into their ratings.
Phil Batty attended the inaugural British Association of Black Surgeons (BABS) conference in November at the Royal College of Surgeons. This event included some personal stories from eminent black surgeons of their experiences in the past, all with awful examples of racism, but with positive stories of how they found allies
to support them, who were invariably white at the time. It is very encouraging that medical students and junior doctors today can find many more allies of their own ethnicity if they experience racism. We must all continue to be willing to be an ally to our BAME colleagues.
Phil Batty also wrote 3 book reviews on diversity issues that is published on page 22. We wonder if there should be an IDF book club, not just on Diversity, but on other issues as well?
There are planned events this year to celebrate and understand the BAME and LGBTQ+ communities. These events are for all! We hope to expand and have an international themed evening.
We continue to have very poor data on the demographics of our membership. This makes it much more difficult to ensure we are providing appropriate services for minority groups. There is
no doubt that minority groups might not trust giving information to organisations, but we need to overcome this if we can provide appropriate services. Please fill in your data on our website under your membership section.
If you need support or are interested in joining a support group please contact
us via DIBS@idrf.co.uk
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