Michelle Cox anti-racism award winner announced

Ayisatu Jarrett, lead of the anti-racism shared decision-making council at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, was named the winner of the first Michelle Cox RCN Foundation Anti-Racism Award this week.

“There are very few awards specifically for anti-racism and unfortunately, this work is often uncelebrated”

Michelle Cox

Ms Jarrett, a cardiology nurse by background, will use funding gained from the award to improve an anti-racism e-learning module given to staff at the trust.

This will come in the form of five educational videos which will help staff to “tackle uncomfortable conversations” around racism, as well as improve knowledge and use of the trust’s anti-racism toolkit.

Ms Jarrett said she hoped the project would be completed by September 2024.

A spokesperson for the project Ms Jarrett leads said: “As the anti-racism shared decision-making council, we are deeply honoured and delighted to receive this RCN Foundation Michelle Cox Foundation Award.

“We feel that this is a fantastic opportunity that will help us to highlight our passion and commitment to creating an inclusive work environment, as well as support our drive to raise awareness of racism within the trust.”

The spokesperson said they hoped the project would help create “an inclusive workplace where diversity is desirable and celebrated”.

The award Ms Jarrett won is named after senior nurse Michelle Cox, who won a landmark employment tribunal against the NHS in 2023 on the grounds that she was facing discrimination, harassment and victimisation because of her race.

Ms Cox’s case gained national media attention last year and, in October, the RCN Foundation announced the creation of the award in her honour.

Speaking after the announcement of this year’s award winner, Ms Cox praised the Coventry and Warwickshire trust’s project for its potential to be rolled out across the healthcare sector.

“I am thrilled that the project currently being undertaken at UHCW will not only tackle anti-racism, but also seeks to improve staff wellbeing, engagement and retention, as well as decreasing sickness rates related to racism,” said Ms Cox.

She added: “By working with the RCN Foundation, I believe there is a real opportunity to expose great practice and to share these models.

“There are very few awards specifically for anti-racism and unfortunately, this work is often uncelebrated.

“There are so many NHS staff, including nurses and midwives, doing incredible work on the anti-racism agenda but it is often done in silos and struggles to be sustainable or replicated beyond their current team.”

RCN Foundation director Deepa Korea said: “Michelle’s commitment to promoting inclusivity stands as a testament to the importance of addressing discrimination in nursing and midwifery.

“Her unwavering commitment to change echoes through this award, offering hope and inspiration to those who oppose racism and promote racial equality within nursing and midwifery, which was evident with the number of applications the award received.

“We are proud to be working alongside Michelle and UHCW and have confidence that the outputs of their project will evoke long-lasting and positive change, not just at UHCW but across the healthcare sector.”