Inclusive practice
Brighton and Sussex Medical School is committed to ensuring that our curriculum and values are inclusive and justice-oriented, and that our students, staff, and broader community feel welcome and respected. We recognise the complex intersecting social issues within which medicine operates and acknowledge that BSMS has an important role to play in ensuring that medicine is a positive force for change whose benefits are available to all. BSMS is the proud holder of an Athena Swan Gold Award, it is a member of the British Medical Association’s Racial Equality Charter and is committed to the broader task of decolonising and diversifying the medical school curricula.
The school continues to fulfil its commitment to equality, diversity and inclusivity by:
- Ensuring that all staff and students are treated with dignity and respect with due regard paid to their beliefs and values;
- Challenging oppressive beliefs and behaviours in all aspects of life at BSMS;
- Providing and maintaining mechanisms for reporting and monitoring incidents of discrimination, harassment or bullying;
- Appointing student and staff representatives as leads for inclusivity;
- Addressing the gendered impact of workload;
- Monitoring admissions policies, teaching resources and materials, school regulations and employment practices to ensure that they take appropriate account of equality and diversity issues;
- Promoting an inclusive culture for learning, research and development;
- Identifying and tackling awarding gaps across undergraduate and postgraduate courses to promote an inclusive learning and teaching environment in which all students are able to flourish;
- Ensuring that all curricula are decolonised and diversified and give BSMS students a broad integrated understanding of the social, political and moral determinants of health;
- Continuing to tackle any kind of discrimination based on age, disability, race, sexual orientation, religion or gender;
- Working with NHS Trusts to help tackle inequalities across partner organisations.
To support these aims, BSMS created an Equality, Diversity and Staff Development Committee in January 2022 which consists of senior management, academic, research, clinical, professional and technical services staff across all departments. The committee meets quarterly and aims to support the school in developing and delivering strategies and implementing inclusive policies which promote equality and diversity throughout the school for all staff and students.
View our Athena Swan Gold submission from November 2023 here >