Equality and diversity
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion is at the heart of our Trust. This means we are determined to create an inclusive culture, that is actively anti-racist, where all our service users experience fairness and equality of access, treatment and outcomes. A culture where all colleagues feel a sense of belonging, where we are able to bring our authentic selves to work and able to achieve our full potential. We are an organisation that takes action to overcome barriers and discrimination and is proud to be one of the most diverse in the NHS.
We are Making Lives Better Together by celebrating diversity and taking action to be anti-racist and deliver race equality.
The Equality Act 2010 offers protection against discrimination to nine ‘protected characteristics; age, disability, race, sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, religion or belief, and marriage and civil partnerships'.
The NHS Constitution also includes a duty “not to discriminate against patients or staff and to adhere to equal opportunities and equality and human rights legislation”.
We want to go even further. As a Trust we want to be an organisation where:
- Patients choose to be treated
- Our staff want to train, work and progress in their careers
- The communities we serve want to engage with us.
When we do this well we have the benefit of improved access to services and experience as well as better health outcomes for our patients.
Celebrating the diversity of our patients and workforce ensures that we have a representative, supported and well-led organisation free from harassment, bullying or victimisation. 
We are a Mindful Employer, a Disability Committed Employer and committed to the British Sign Language Charter. We were awarded a Silver Employer Award as part of our Stonewall Workplace Equality Index LGBTQIA+ efforts. We are also members of Employers Network for Equality and Inclusion and Stonewall Diversity Champions.
We publish information to demonstrate compliance with the general equality duties and publish specific and measurable equality objectives.
This year we are proud to launch our ambitious new Health Inequalities Strategic Plan 2025-2030[pdf] 2MB as well as Patient and Carer Race Equality Framework (PCREF) 2025-2027 [pdf] 933KB
Addressing inequalities in the workplace
The Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES) and Workforce Disability Equality Standard (WDES) help the NHS to understand and address inequalities in the workplace.
What are WRES and WDES?
The NHS Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES) is an NHS mandatory that aims to promote race equality and diversity within the workforce. It focuses on addressing inequities and disparities experienced by staff from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic backgrounds and improving their representation at all levels of the organisation.
The NHS Workforce Disability Equality Standard (WDES) gives us another opportunity to analyse our performance, attracting, developing, and supporting staff with disabilities - and what more we ought to do to sustain the progress and become an employer of choice.
Both programmes include metrics and indicators to measure progress and is reviewed annually to ensure its effectiveness. NHS England publishes an annual report on Trusts’ WDES and WRES performance.
Our commitment
At South West London and St George's we are committed to taking a transparent and proactive approach to addressing race inequity and discrimination in the workplace and service delivery. We work with our colleagues to review our data, create a summary overview, and our own data posters reflecting our results in comparison to the previous year.
We hope that these documents and resources will help our staff with continuing conversations about race inequity, our actions and the way forward.
Core Five action plan 2026/2027
In reviewing our WRES and WDES data, it is evident that focused, sustained action is beginning to make a real difference. However, we recognise that a significant journey remains to achieve the levels of equity and inclusion we aspire to.
The Core Five actions we’ve identified represent a focused and evidence-based response to the challenges highlighted in our WRES, WDES, and Pay Gap reports. These actions are not just strategic - they are essential. Developed in partnership with our Core Five Leads, Staff Network Chairs and Staff Side Representative, and grounded in robust data analysis, they target the areas where we know we can make the most meaningful difference. These are also aligned to the NHS EDI Improvement Plan High Impact Actions and the Trust's commitment to becoming an anti-racist and anti-discriminatory organisation.
We recognise that real, lasting change - both procedural and cultural - takes time. But with sustained focus, collaborative delivery, and the right interventions, we are confident we will shift the dial. Our quarterly Core Five delivery group, will continue to bring together key stakeholders including Staff Network Chairs and Staff side, are central to maintaining momentum, unblocking barriers, and ensuring accountability.
Katherine Robinson, Chief People Officer
Latest reports
Our WRES and WDES reports and posters reflect our 2025/2026 data (inclusive of information from ESR for 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026, and Staff Survey 2025 results) and our Core Five action plan for 2026/2027: