North East London NHS Foundation Trust (NELFT) is delighted to have been recognised as a winner in the Employers Network for Equality and Inclusion (ENEI) Awards for recognition of its work embedding diversity and inclusion throughout the organisation.

The Trust, who employs over 6,500 staff and volunteers, was awarded this title alongside the Financial Ombudsman Service as joint overall winners for the public sector. NELFT also won the Disability Confident Award and came highly commended in the Inclusive Culture and Innovative Ways of Working award categories.

Professor Oliver Shanley OBE, chief executive, said: “We are delighted to have been recognised in these important awards for our work on promoting and embedding diversity, equality and inclusion in our organisation.

“We want all our staff to feel safe, listened to and valued at work and we are so proud of our diversity and the richness all our colleagues bring to our Trust and the diverse communities we serve.

“This recognition from ENEI comes during a very challenging year for the NHS and I’d like to thank all my colleagues for not only caring for patients and supporting each other, but ensuring that inclusion, diversity and equality remained true values in our Trust.”

These accolades are due to the dedication and hard work of a number of staff and volunteers at the Trust, including the equality and diversity team.

Harjit Bansal, head of equality and diversity, said: “I feel proud and privileged to receive not just one award for the work that my team and I deliver in NELFT, but to be recognised in four categories.

“Equality, diversity, and inclusion is embedded in everything the Trust does to ensure equity for our colleagues, patients, service users, carers and the communities we serve. This is just the beginning and we have so much more to achieve and deliver in the future.”

ENEI is the UK’s leading employer network covering all aspects of equality and inclusion in the workplace. The ENEI awards acknowledge and celebrate those with a commitment to good practice above and beyond legal compliance and innovative approaches that will inspire other employers.

More information about the ENEI awards can be found on its website.