There's nothing more powerful than taking the time to really understand what it feels like to be in someone else's shoes. This Race Equality Week, I invite you to join me in doing just that.

We know in healthcare that race equity has never been more important for people we care for, the people we work with and the people in our community.

Evidence shows that racism and discrimination can have a negative impact on the physical and mental health of people from ethnic minority groups.

To put that into context, in the UK people from the Gypsy or Irish Traveller, Bangladeshi and Pakistani communities have the poorest health outcomes across a range of indicators.

In addition, compared with the white population, the length of time that a person can expect to live free from a long standing illness or disability is estimated to be lower among several ethnic minority groups.

That's why at the RUH our goal is to work together to create one of the healthiest places to live and work for everyone, taking positive action to reduce inequalities.

We also know race equity matters to the people we work with. I want each and every person at the RUH to feel able to bring their whole selves to work - I truly believe our diversity makes us stronger.

Research backs that up too, showing that a motivated, included and valued workforce helps to deliver high quality patient care, increased patient satisfaction and improved patient safety. At the RUH our Workforce Race Equality Data tells us that we still have work to do, and we are committed to that.

So this week, the first steps towards race equity start with us all, and I really encourage you to get involved with the five day challenge from Race Equality Matters.

It's five really thought-provoking personal exercises to understand what it means to be positively inclusive. Each only takes around five minutes, but I guarantee they'll have a big impact.

By each of us taking the time to reflect, understand our own bias and recognise how we can make change for the better, we can move forward. This includes actively challenging discrimination when we see it and standing together to ensure the RUH future really is a place where you matter.

Take the Race Equality Week five day challenge
(resources provided by Race Equality Matters)

Day One

Day Two

Day Three

Day Four

Day Five