Reinstate the BME Network in Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust

We are petitioning Ms. Griffiths to request that she reinstate the BME Network that she inherited when she was appointed CEO of Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals (BSUH) NHS Trust on 1 April 2017.

As Ms. Griffiths is aware the BME Network was launched on 24 September 2004 and over the years the Network has challenged the institutional racism that exists at the Trust, which has adversely impacted the lives of BME staff and BME patients.

In 2007 the then Chief Executive Mr Duncan Selbie publicly admitted that the Trust was institutionally racist after losing an Employment Tribunal claim for racial discrimination. As a result, the Trust agreed to work in partnership with the BME Network to address these issues and this gave rise to the joint development of a Race Equality Engagement Strategy which was being implemented at the time of Ms. Griffiths appointment.

When the Network first met with Ms. Griffiths, she refused to accept that institutional racism was an issue at BSUH. She then preceded to unfairly dismiss three senior BME colleagues who were instrumental in providing leadership to the Network; we understand that their Employment Tribunal claims are still outstanding. Ms. Griffiths also made it very clear to us, as the remaining BME employees, that she would no longer recognise the BME Network that exists unless we were prepared to do exactly as she demanded. Given we were established as an independent Network and given Ms. Griffiths demands were unreasonable, we informed her that we were unable to agree to her demands and as such she severed all links with the BME Network that she inherited.

That said, Ms. Griffiths will be aware of the Public Health England report published in June 2020 which accepts that institutional racism is a longstanding problem within the NHS and in fact was a contributing factor regarding the disproportionate death of BME staff and patients during the Covid-19 pandemic.

It is against this backdrop that we the current BME employees of BSUH are now calling for Ms. Griffiths to immediately reinstate the BME Network she inherited on your appointment as CEO of BSUH in 2017. In addition, we are also asking for the following:

(i) Reinstatement of the Memorandum of Understanding between the BME Network and the Trust.

(ii) The Trust Board to honour the commitment of Ms. Griffiths predecessors to establish a BME Patient Association.

(iii) The implementation of an agreed race equality strategy to address the discriminatory practices that exist.

(iv) Support for the BME Network (for example funding, protected time etc)