Be you at LSBU: supporting nurses and midwives to be diverse, equitable and inclusive

I can tell you much about London South Bank University (LSBU), where I work. Information, such as that LSBU has been transforming lives, communities, and businesses for over 120 years. That our mission ‘to be recognised as an enterprising civic university that addresses real-world challenges’ has paved the way for us to be the largest provider of health and social care training in South London and the South East.

With three campuses that delivers pre- and post-registration nursing and midwifery education, we have invested in our simulation education, state-of-the-art lecture rooms and learning resource centre to ensure that our students have an excellent teaching and learning experience.

Our graduates are the highest paid among all London modern universities one year after completing their course, and we are ranked eighth in the world for reducing inequalities (The Times Higher Impact Ranking 2023).

Nichole Mcintosh

But I want to focus on how we make our student experience personal as once you start you become a LSBU family member.

We have supported, educated and graduated nurses and midwives who have gone on to shape the nursing and midwifery landscape.

For example, Nichole McIntosh, who is the regional head of nursing and midwifery in the Workforce, Training and Education Directorate at NHS England in London, graduated from our Havering, Essex Campus.

Ruth Oshikanlu

Ruth Oshikanlu MBE undertook her health visiting education at LSBU and is an international nurse leader and entrepreneur, fellow of the Royal College of Nursing, American Academy of Nursing and currently undertaking a Churchill Fellowship.

Dr Ray Healy

Dr Ray Healy, who undertook his doctorate at LSBU is the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland's director of registration.

At LSBU we look after our students through our personal tutoring system, we develop relationships that demonstrate and embody caring. We have supported students when unforeseen life events occur, for example, when they were made homeless (due to fire), had serious illness such as cancer, through bereavement and looked after their mental health and wellbeing along every step of their nursing and midwifery education.

We are a university committed to diversity, equity and inclusion. We have been awarded the Athena Swan Bronze award and are working towards Silver to ensure gender equity for students and staff. We hold the Advance HE Race Equality Charter, and have appointed a fellow to work on decolonising the curriculum – this work aims to look at whiteness in the nursing curriculum and how we address this disproportionate representation. These charter marks and awards help us to make better for our students and staff.

We contribute to developing our NHS workforce through various continuing professional development (CPD), for example, non-medical prescribing, diabetes, intensive care, neurological, orthopaedic and postgraduate certificate in teaching and learning.

We host two prestigious fellowships the (Lord) Darzi Fellowship that takes learners through various methodologies and frameworks for change.

The second is the Dame Elizabeth Anionwu fellowship for inclusivity in nursing and midwifery founded by Professor Calvin Moorley. Based on the values of Dame Elizabeth, this developmental programme is for nurses and midwives from any background looking to make the NHS more inclusive.

Alongside the fellowship is the annual lecture for inclusivity in nursing and midwifery. Last year’s lecture was delivered by Professor Laura Serrant and this year Nichole McIntosh will deliver the lecture on inclusive compassionate language. You can register here for the lecture.

LSBU is also the main sponsor for the Dame Anionwu Nursing Times award for inclusivity in Nursing and Midwifery. In a time when diversity, equity and inclusion are being delineated from the NHS landscape we continue to focus on supporting the NHS workforce to meet the needs of its users.

We run the White Allyship at Work programme, which aims to build support for racially minoritised healthcare workers and patients. We run bespoke programmes for the various nursing diaspora groups and Professor Moorley will be delivering the NIHR pilot programme to develop Black and Brown Researchers in Nursing and Midwifery.

At LSBU diversity, equity and inclusion are at the core of our values and we work across and build systems for a fair and just society, particularly in nursing and midwifery alongside the wider NHS workforce.

We welcome all to visit our open days and become part of the LSBU family or as we say: be you at LSBU!

Calvin Moorley is a registered nurse in critical care nursing and professor of diversity and social justice in the School of Nursing and Midwifery, London South Bank University