NHS toolkit advances inclusive workforce diversity

As reported by NHS Employers, they have launched a comprehensive toolkit, developed in collaboration with those with lived experience and healthcare organisations, to foster diversity by recruiting individuals who have faced homelessness, providing essential recruitment and retention guidance

The new toolkit contains recruitment tips and strategies and retention practices to support health and social care organisations to recruit people who have experienced homelessness into the workforce, to support them to stay in and thrive in their roles.

Designed for individuals and teams working in NHS trusts responsible for the recruitment of entry-level roles, including healthcare support workers, cleaners, administrators, porters, and others. The toolkit is also intended for recruitment teams who are interested in making their processes more inclusive, as well as managers who recruit, line manage, and support individuals.

Recruiting and supporting individuals who have experienced homelessness can make a positive impact on the lives of the individuals concerned and the communities NHS organisations work with by:

• encouraging young people to join health and care careers to create a sustainable, diverse and inclusive workforce
• adopting inclusive recruitment strategies to help tackle inequities
• collaborating with partners working to achieve better outcomes for all.

The project was commissioned by NHS England working with input from Pathway, Royal Society for Public Health and Groundswell, alongside five trusts who employed people with experience of homelessness into the trust.