Equality, diversity and inclusion

As a Medical School we believe that everyone in society no matter their community or background has the right to good health and excellent quality healthcare.

We recognise the role medical schools can play in creating, continuing, and undoing the long-standing inequalities and inequities in health education and research provision.

To achieve this, we are working with key partners across health, research, and education, and engaging the local community to make sure their voices are heard. This includes working through our education and research programmes to identify and address inequities, working across communities to increase the diversity of participants in research and increasing diverse representation at all levels of our staff and student populations.

We will create a culture of belonging by promoting inclusion and actively challenge exclusion in all its forms. In doing so we will create a safe environment that will recognise and celebrate individuality, where everyone can flourish.

Priority areas

These priority areas have been identified from looking at data the school currently holds, and discussions with staff and students from diverse communities. They are not a list of everything that needs to be changed in the school, but the areas staff and students have asked us to work on as a priority. Some of our priorities are very specific because we have done work in this area and are clear what needs to be done, other areas are broader where we may need to better understand what actions are needed.

Building a safe and fair medical school

Supporting students and staff in difficulty

Increasing diversity in our staff and student population. Making sure there is diversity in senior academic and professional services positions.

Promoting and providing mentoring opportunities with diverse role models.

Adopting new approaches to make sure we hear diverse staff and student voices and increase community within the school.

Helping students to access support, by better communicating and simplifying our processes.

Making sure our language in our education, research and general communications is accessible.

Tackling inequalities in our education programmes and supporting all communities to be successful.

Tackling health inequalities in research.

Read our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (PDF, 113kB)‌ for in-depth insights into our priority focus areas and collaborative working principles.

Principles on the way we will work together

Lived Experience, wellbeing, and mental health

We acknowledge that our school has not always valued diversity, challenged stigma, and recognised the personal impact of discrimination in higher education.

Safety and Accountability

We acknowledge that those undertaking EDI work do not always feel safe, and that our organisation has not always been accountable to staff, students, and marginalised communities.

Workload and Recognition

We acknowledge that historically EDI work has not been recognised as being as critical to the organisation as other activities, and people doing the work have not been given allocated time in their working day.

Our EDI strategy provides an excellent framework which supports our ongoing commitment to improve our culture and environment so that every one of our staff and students can thrive, be heard, and celebrate individuality while safely challenging exclusion and inequity.

Chrissie Thirlwell, Head of Bristol Medical School

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