Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) statement
People’s Health Trust exists to support communities who are marginalised and face the greatest inequalities in health, to improve health in across England, Scotland and Wales. The experience of the pandemic across the nations has laid open to public view the profound injustices that have resulted in high illness and deaths for some communities.
The factors that determine who is most likely to become ill, to die early or to live with long term health problems are often complex. They are deeply woven into the fabric of our society. They cannot be ignored if we are to tackle needless illness and early deaths.
Racism, discrimination, poverty, stigma and oppression of marginalised groups are not only profound social injustices, they affect how and where we live and work; our relationships; the daily pressures in our lives; how we feel about ourselves and our ability to safely speak out. They fundamentally affect our physical and mental health. We are unwavering in our commitment to the Trust’s strategies, operations and communications reflecting this reality.
We aim to be an active anti-racist and anti-oppression charity, challenging all form of discrimination and oppression throughout the full scope of our work. We will approach our work fearlessly, authentically and will be successful only if we are open to challenge and debate, deepening our understanding, recognising we will not always get things right and are committed to learning and improving.
We will:
- Tackle and reduce health inequalities, deepening our understanding of how these arise, and focusing our funding where it can make a real difference, paying particular attention to equity and communities who are marginalised.
- Advocate for and advance deeper practice and policy change for people who are marginalised. Speak out about key issues of injustice and provide platforms for people who are less frequently heard by those in power.
- Value community and neighbourhood-led organisations and actively support them by privileging the voices of those who experience worse health and shorter lives. Develop partnerships with organisations who can help us actively develop our work in this area.
- Work to ensure there is equality in our grant-making programmes and processes. Reduce and eliminate barriers to success that grant applicants may experience. Provide support for applicants and feedback to unsuccessful applicants, to strengthen their future chances.
- Be accountable to the communities we serve. Encourage, actively facilitate and act on the voices of those who are marginalised in society through our operations and strategies.
- Commit to ensuring that our staff and our trustees are representative of the communities we serve, including having the necessary range of skills and perspectives.
- Commit to ensuring that our workplace is free from racism, oppression and bigotry.
