Diversity in Focus
In celebration of 75 years of the NHS, BCHC Charity funded a photography project as part of their Arts in Health initiative which aims to showcase and celebrate the diversity of Team BCHC staff.
Working with local award-winning photographer Maryam Wahid, portraits of a selection of BCHC staff have been taken to create exhibitions around the Trust. The goal is to celebrate the diversity of people working within BCHC, showcase the people who make it work, promote inclusion and diversity within the NHS and wider community, provide a platform for underrepresented groups within the NHS to be heard and seen, and to create beautiful imagery for art walls within the Trust.
Maryam said, “I want to take the time to get to know the people I want to photograph and build a relationship based on mutual respect and trust. This will help us to understand their perspectives, experiences, and aspirations, and enable us to capture more authentic and meaningful images.”
27 BCHC staff took part in the project, with photographs taken at Moseley Hall Hospital during July. Internal communications manager Naomi Ocansey said: “I wanted to take part in the project as I felt it was important to reflect the diversity of the NHS, particularly given my mixed race background.
"Taking part is my way of encouraging the conversation around how we must embrace people from different backgrounds with differing experiences to add to the richness of the NHS.”
Charity engagement and communications lead Stacey Taylor, who took part in the project representing the LGBT+ & Allies Network, added: “Working with Maryam was absolutely brilliant. She really made me feel at ease and was clearly very interested in my story about my journey to discovering my asexuality; often referred to as the ‘invisible orientation’ due to lack of representation. I can’t wait to see the finished exhibition and am proud to represent the Ace community."
The photos will be exhibited at Moseley Hall later this year, before being displayed across the Trust for the enjoyment of patients, staff, and visitors alike.