60 seconds with Kimberley Verma
To kick off LGBT History Month, Kimberley shares why she thinks it's important that we have a LGBTQ+ Staff Diversity Network.
Tell us what you do and where you work.
I’m a hospital administrator for Barts Pharmacy; we work across all sites but my base is Newham. All in all, we look after over 400 pharmacy staff members to ensure the service is delivered efficiently. As you can imagine, it’s a bustling environment with varying personalities and levels of demand. Caffeine keeps us going…
Tell us about your experience at Barts Health as a staff member who openly identifies as LGBTQ+? Has it been positive or negative?
Perhaps surprisingly, my experience as an open LGBTQ+ staff member has been overwhelmingly positive. I’ll admit I had some reservations about being totally open with all of my colleagues about my identity, but I’ve found the community of Barts Health to be amongst the most inclusive I’ve ever had the pleasure of working alongside. If anything, working at Barts has given me the confidence to just be myself in a way I have not really experienced before and I hope to be able to pass that on in some way.
Why do you think it’s important for Barts Health to have an LGBTQ+ Staff Diversity Network?
The Diversity Network provides a space where our community can gather and decompress from time to time. It’s important for everyone to feel like they have an anchor in all waters, and despite our differences the aim is really equality for all.
How do you think Barts Heath can become more accessible for LGBTQ+ Staff and Patients?
Rainbow lanyards would be a great start to make the Trust more openly accessible and welcoming. I’ve seen them on other NHS sites and think they’re a great talking point and signpost for LGBTQ+ community members.
Who is you LGBTQ+ hero and why?
I would have to choose the French tennis player Amelie Mauresmo as my LGBT hero. Growing up, I wanted to be a tennis player and toured competitively as a teenager. I admired Amelie’s resilience and non-conformity in a world of high expectations and hyper scrutiny of a player’s looks and athleticism. Besides all of that, she had an incredible backhander that I’ve given up on attempting to perfect!
We are committed to establishing a new LGBTQ+ diversity network subgroup at Newham to coincide with LGBTQ+ History Month. If you are interested in being involved please get in contact with Kimberley Verma, Nick Porteous or Rob Selley.