Disabled Staff Network

We are committed to creating a fair and diverse workplace. The staff network actively engages and contributes towards ensuring equality, acceptance and inclusion within the Trust.

The aim of the staff network is to:

Provide a place for staff to come together to share experiences and receive support
Promote a work environment in which all staff feel supported, valued, and are able to be themselves
Enable staff to achieve their potential
Challenge discrimination and to positively promote equality
Ensure that good practice and initiatives are promoted, shared and embedded within the Trust
Provide a forum for discussion and debate which draws on knowledge and experience
Act as a driving force to promote continuous practice improvement
Provide a place for staff to receive peer support ie. raise concerns and ideas in a safe and confidential environment.

Interested in joining?

Membership is open to any staff member with or without a disability. By joining the network you will be given an opportunity to make a real difference and:

Play an important role in helping to improve your workplace and raise awareness
By being visible we will be able to support not only colleagues but also service users who identify as disabled
Ensure specific issues are understood and addressed
Ensure your voice is heard
Have an opportunity to network

If you are interested in becoming a member of the staff network email: DSN@cntw.nhs.uk

Pledge To Be Seen

In 2023, CNTW signed the Pledge To Be Seen, a campaign calling on organisations to represent more people with visible differences like scarring, birthmarks and skin conditions. By signing the pledge, CNTW is committing to representing more people with a visible difference in the Trust’s communications materials.

Mary Lavender, co-chair of the Disabled Staff Network, initiated this change after raising the topic of representation of disabled employees with the Trust’s Inclusive Recruitment project team.

“Disabled people are not just patients of the health service, we’re a key part of the workforce too. Our differences should be celebrated, not hidden away.”

Find out more about Changing Faces’ Pledge To Be Seen here: Pledge To Be Seen Campaign | For Employers | Changing Faces