"For Barts Health to be an inclusive environment for everyone, we ought to support our staff by investing in their personal development and progression". Ebenezer Gberbie's story
I grew up in a military background, listening to many stories from my grandfather who fought alongside the British during WW2 when Ghana was a British Colony.
I finally joined the British Army in September 2011 and learnt an abundance of skills, most noticeably leadership, public governance and organisation. After sustaining an injury early on in my career I spent my remaining three years as an Army Recruiter. I realised the importance of getting the right people into the right roles and understanding their aspirations.
Upon leaving the Army in March 2016 I applied for a number of roles within the NHS. I have since moved up the ranks, capitalizing on my skills and experiences from the army, as well as other key skills and behaviours through personal development initiatives - I have just completed the Senior Leaders Mastership Programme with the Trust which is equivalent to an MBA.
I have experienced quite a few challenges with my transition from soldier to civilian. I certainly wouldn’t be where I am today without perseverance, keeping an open mind, and the support of management to pursue personal development opportunities.
What hasn’t changed much from my military days is the particular challenge of being a BME person navigating a large complex organisation. Similar to the army, most NHS Trusts are large organisations with hierarchical structures and it can be difficult for BME staff to be visible, recognised for their achievements, and rewarded or supported to get promotion opportunities.
A lot of BME staff have had their careers stagnated. This is because there is either no clear progression, no personal development plans within their department, or there is the lack of appetite to make an investment in their growth and development.
I have witnessed on countless occasions, BME staff being seconded into roles, yet not being given the opportunity to fill these roles permanently when the opportunity becomes available. This form of discrimination has a very adverse impact on not only their mental health and wellbeing, but also the productivity and morale of those who encounter it.
The discrimination I personally experienced in the army (and sadly more recently within the NHS) has had a lasting effect on my confidence and productivity. Recently, a similar incident left me quite traumatised and made me want to leave the Trust altogether - if not for the support and encouragement I received from my personal network.
My advice is to make inclusion and diversity a priority on the agenda. There should leadership from the heart and by example. Also, it is important to emphasise an environment where there is zero tolerance for discrimination and put measures in place to ensure that this is fed back down the chain to every manager in the business. This creates a level playing field for everyone not only by being fair when it comes to promotion opportunities, but also with opportunities for training and personal development.
For Barts Health to be a supportive and inclusive environment for everyone that works here, we ought to support our staff by investing in their personal development and progression. We also need to strengthen our staff networks and give them adequate resource to organise themselves.
To support diversity and be truly inclusive we ought to work together across the business to stamp out discrimination (have a zero tolerance towards it) and have the ‘no one left behind’ mind-set that one would find in any credible military unit.
With best wishes,
Ebenezer
Ebenezer Nii Lartey Gberbie
Equipment & Stock Manager RLH (Surgery) &
BME Subgroup Site Lead – RLH & Mile End Hospital