This leader creates a culture where staff feel safe to be themselves and where everyone feels inspired to achieve their best. They “raise the bar” to ensure that the whole service responds to the needs of BAME patients and communities. They are prepared to innovate, challenging the system where necessary, while rewarding and encouraging good practice as it develops. Criteria:

• The nominee is a role model and inspirational leader in actively supporting BAME employees. (250 words max.)
• Has implemented an improvement initiative that has significantly enhanced either career progression of BAME  staff or care for BAME patients/service users. (250 words max.)
• Has ensured that the improvements they have made are sustainable across the organisation. (250 words max.)
• Has constructively managed to remove a significant barrier to change affecting BAME communities or BAME staff. (250 words max.)

This nominee or nominated team has developed research with the potential to improve health outcomes of BAME patients and/or communities. Their primary focus has been to address the specific needs of BAME communities with recommendations on how the needs of these groups can be addressed. Criteria:

• Has implemented a research project that has significantly enhanced the care or access to care for BAME patients/service users. (250 words max.)
• Has ensured that any recommendations arising from the research project are sustained or disseminated across the organisation. (250 words max.)
• Has constructively managed to remove a significant barrier to change affecting BAME communities. (250 words max.)

This person has a job role that is predominantly to lead on race equality issues. The person strives to ensure that the views of BAME groups are heard, often asking the difficult questions to change the system. This person is a great influencer and inspires and motivates everyone around them to improve services for BAME staff and communities. Criteria:

The nominee is a role model and inspirational leader in actively supporting BAME employees. (250 words max.)

• Has enabled a change in the way the service operates that responds to a longstanding concern of BAME staff, patients/service users or carers. (250 words max.)
• Has created a structural change that ensures either BAME staff or BAME patients/service users or carers  have a more influential voice in the organisation. (250 words max.)
• Has constructively managed to remove a significant barrier to change. (250 words max.)

This clinician is working at any level and in any service who: 

(a) Puts the patient at the centre of their practice;
(b) Has demonstrated expertise in understanding and addressing health inequalities; 
(c) Has developed clinical services, which meet the needs of people from BAME communities.

Criteria:

• The nominee is a role model and inspirational leader in actively supporting BAME employees, patients and/or communities. (250 words max.)
• Has introduced a new service or improved an existing service to focus on a health or care issue experienced by BAME patients/service users or carers. (250 words max.)
• Has created a structural change that ensures either BAME staff or BAME patients/service users or carers have an opportunity to influence service development. (250 words max.)
• Has constructively managed to remove a significant barrier to change affecting BAME communities or BAME staff. (250 words max.)

This team or person has used technology and expertise to improve access, communication or support for BAME people, staff, patients or communities. Criteria:

• Has developed digital technology which has improved access, communication or support for BAME people, staff, patients or communities. (250 words max.)
• Has ensured that digital innovation is sustained across the service/organisation. (250 words max.)
• Has constructively managed to remove a significant barrier to change affecting BAME communities. (250 words max.)

This special award will be presented to the individual whom the judges believe has made a long-term outstanding contribution to social care. Nominations are welcomed from across the care sector.  Criteria:

• Has successfully advocated for organisational action that has improved access, communication or support for BAME people, staff, patients or communities. (250 words max.)
• Has ensured that the improvement is sustained across the service/organisation. (250 words max.)
• Has constructively managed to remove a barrier to change affecting BAME patients. (250 words max.)

This person or team has designed an innovative health prevention initiative or tool which is:

(a) Improving health outcomes for BAME employees, patients or communities;
(b) Increasing knowledge and awareness of health issues: or
(c) Improving access to prevention and screening services. 

Criteria:

• Has implemented an innovative health prevention initiative or tool which is improving health outcomes for BAME people and communities, increasing awareness of health issues or improving access to services. (250 words max.)
• The nominee has clearly shown a positive impact of the initiative or tool on health outcomes for BAME patients. (250 words max.)
• Has constructively managed to remove a significant barrier to change affecting BAME communities. (250 words max.)

This person or team has demonstrated success in addressing inequalities and improving outcomes for BAME staff, ensuring a culture where BAME staff can thrive. Criteria:

• The nominee is a role model and innovative leader in actively supporting BAME employees. (250 words max.)
• Has introduced an organisational change that has produced a measurable and significant reduction in levels of complaints of bullying and harassment by BAME staff. (250 words max.)
• Has created a structural change that ensures BAME staff have a more influential voice in the organisation. (250 words max.)
• Has constructively managed to remove a significant barrier to change affecting BAME staff. (250 words max.)

The person is considered a role model by her team or organisation in ensuring high quality and compassionate nursing practice and ensuring a proactive approach to reducing inequities in service provision for BAME patients or BAME staff development. Criteria:

• The nominee is a role model and inspirational leader. (250 words max.)
• The nominee has introduced a practice change that is now part of the normal routine of the organisation (250 words max.)
• The nominee has produced significant improvements in BAME staff development or BAME patient clinical outcomes (250 words max.)

The person is considered a role model by her team or organisation in ensuring high quality and compassinate midwifery practice and ensuring a proactive approach to redusing inequities in service provision for BAME patients or BAME staff development. Criteria:

• The nominee is a role model and inspirational leader (250 words max.)
• The nominee has introduced a practice change that is now part of the normal routine of the organisation (250 words max.)
• The nominee has produced significant improvements in BAME staff development or BAME patient clinical outcomes (250 words max.)

This person has introduced a significant change to practice that improves access for patients or carers from BAME communities or improves clinical outcomes for BAME patients. Criteria:

• The nominee has successfully challenged an existing practice that prevented access or was not clinically beneficial (250 words max.)
• The nominee is a role model for constructively challenging inequities in practice (250 words max.)
• The nominee has succefully improved  development opportunities for BAME staff (250 words max.)

The person has produced a practice for BAME patients or carers or a development initiative for BAME staff that has gained national recognition as an example of good practice. Criteria:

• The nominee successfully created and mainstreamed a new practice in their organisation that improved clinical outcome or improved development opportunities (250 words max.)
• The nominee is a role model for constructively challenging inequities in practice (250 words max.)
• The nominee has secured financial investment in the service to support their new practice (250 words max.)

The organisation has launched an initiative that improves clinical outcomes for BAME patients or shows evidence of successfully supporting the career development of BAME staff.  Criteria:

• The initiative has received national level recognition. (250 words max.)
• The intiative has been included in the organiation’s strategic objectives (250 words max.)
• The organsiation has identified a significant budget to support the initiative (250 words max.)
• The organsiation requires partner agencies to comply with the initiative (250 words max.)

A service intuitive that has significantly imoproved access by members of the BAME community with mental health issues or clinical outcomes for BAME patients currently using the service. Criteria:

• The nominee has successfully challenged an existing practice that prevented access or was not clinically beneficial (250 words max.)
• The initiative has been commended by a local BAME community group or respresentative body (250 words max.)
• The lead for the initiative is a role model for constructively challenging inequities in practice (250 words max.)

Technological innovation either by creation of new apparatus, digital device or software development or the innovative application of existing technology that improves access to services or clinical outcomes for BAME patients.  Criteria:

• The initiative has been commended by a local BAME community group or representative body (250 words max.)
• The lead for the initiative is a role model for constructively challenging inequities in practice (250 words max.)
• The initiative is sustainable and underpinned by financial investment by the organisation (250 words max.)

The service or organisation has been a key player in securing a community development beneficial to local BAME population through working directly with other agencies. Criteria:

• The service or organisationa has developed new constructive working relationships with community partners (250 words max.)
• The initiative has been commended by a local BAME community group or respresentative body (250 words max.)
• The initiative has overcome an historic obstacle to integrated working (250 words max.)

Currently, 10.6% of children and family social workers, one in five nurses, more than one in three doctors, and one in six of all NHS staff are from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds. Yet many studies have shown BAME staff are under-represented in senior roles and experience discrimination in their career in health care services. These awards create a significant opportunity for ensuring recognition of staff who show ambition and vision in securing access and service improvements for BAME communities

A group of passionate volunteers from the health and care sector,  in collaboration with Colourful Healthcare CIC, are launching the awards in 2019 to champion the importance of recognising BAME talent and innovation in the sector.

Nominations open July 2020 and will close in 28th October 2020. You can enter yourself, suggest a colleague or be nominated. Go to the nominations page and enter digitally (online) or you can download the Word version of the nomination form.

Nominees must be either a current employee or a staff team in a health or care service in the statutory, voluntary or private sector in the UK (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland).

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Our panel of expert judges will review the applications, draw up a shortlist and select the winner in each of the award categories. See the panel of  judges page.

The winners will be announced at a ceremony in the first-quarter (Q1) of 2021 to celebrate their achievements, share best practice, and to champion BAME inclusion throughout the health and care sector.

We advise that you inform anyone you are nominating that you have done so (and tell them the ceremony date), although this is at your own discretion.

There are 16 awards categories. For full details, please visit the nominations process page.

Anyone can attend. For ticket information, please contact us.  Look out for our notifications about ticket release on social media.

The Awards ceremony will take place in central London Q1 2021. More details will be released as we monitor the current COVID-19 situation, so follow us on social media (@BAME_HCA ) to keep up to date with the latest news!

Should you need further information please contact the team at info@bamehscawards.org