Diversity, Inclusion, Equity and Belonging

Six years ago, we committed to a brave and powerful leap: to change our culture for good. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) is a core part of who we are and how we work. Our vision remains clear: to create an organisation where every voice matters, every barrier is challenged, and equity is embedded in everything we do. 

This journey has been about accountability. We know that meaningful change doesn’t happen overnight. It requires a continued process of monitoring, engagement, analysis, reflection, and action. Beyond accountability, we are committed to identifying where power, privilege, and oppression emerge, and to actively ceding or leveraging power in ways that create equitable outcomes for all. For our leadership teams this starts with a suite of mandatory e-learning to dissect understanding of these crucial elements, and create positive impact across the organisation through informed action. 

We’ve invested in equipping our teams with the knowledge and tools to practice anti-oppressive approaches in their work. The Time is Now strategy and North Star vision recognise that dismantling systemic barriers, whether in healthcare access, outcomes, or representation, requires persistence and collaboration. These challenges are complex and intersectional; they cannot be solved immediately or in isolation and require us to work with courage – being brave, not perfect. 

How are we going to do it:

• Embed equitable practice into everyday decision‑making
  Strengthen and expand the ways colleagues build awareness, confidence, and capability in equitable practice, so inclusive decision‑making becomes a natural and consistent part of how we work. 

• Empower Colleague Equity Networks as active system partners
  Ensure our Equity Networks are resourced, influential, and able to elevate the voices and experiences of minoritised communities across our organisation. 

• Maintain and evolve practical tools that shape inclusive practice
  Audit, strengthen, and continuously update our DEIB tools so they remain living resources that build confidence and support meaningful shifts in behaviour and practice. 

• Grow DEIB capability across all roles
  Provide an embedded learning and development offer that builds colleagues’ understanding of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, supporting ongoing growth in role‑specific DEIB practice. 

• Position DEIB at the heart of our mission
  Make DEIB a core enabler of The Time is Now and our North Star ambitions by learning from workforce insights, applying systems-thinking approaches, and clearly communicating our priorities across the organisation. 

• Integrate DEIB into organisational planning
  Ensure that our planning processes require every directorate to include at least one clear, tangible DEIB objective. 

We cannot wave a magic wand to erase health inequalities. But we can, and do, commit to the hard work of change. We invite everyone to join us on this journey, because equity is not just our ambition, it’s our responsibility.  

We have a Culture & DEIB Officer delivering a comprehensive range of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging work. This includes maintaining a focus on empowering the entire workforce to drive forward DEIB in various work domains, including in recruitment, induction, colleague awareness/understanding, policy development, the creation and support of colleague equity networks. DEIB, and specifically our understanding of tackling systemic inequity, is a core component of our Time is Now Strategy, and the whole organisation takes responsibility on delivering these ambitions. We have also invested in an Equity and Systems Change Lead position in the Research, Innovation and Systems Change team to help us understand and address the inequalities that affect the outcomes, experiences, and access to services and support for children and young people with cancer. This positioning will strengthen our thought leadership on equity and enable us to embed it within our long-term ambition to shape the system and amplify change for more people.