About.
Aishnine Benjamin Director
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With over 15 years experience as a diversity and inclusion professional I have knowledge and experiences that span all protected characteristics (e.g. race, gender, disability, trans) and human rights to deliver the diversity and inclusion outcomes you need.
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Examples
- Working with an NHS Trust to remove a compliance notice issued by the Equality and Human Rights Commission; putting in place EDI governance and equality impact assessment structures.
- In 2018 my team was shortlisted for the best EDI Team award in the ENEI Diversity Awards.
- Developing the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s (NMC) EDI Framework. A system for actively managing diversity and inclusion within the organisation. This framework was a bespoke structure to fit the NMC.
- Updating the NMC’s diversity monitoring system for nurses and midwives. I identified the data collection and reporting errors and worked with IT teams to update the systems. I created supporting guidance and training for staff on diversity monitoring. The NMC is now compliant in how it monitors diversity.
- Building equality impact assessment structures in the NMC, General Medical Council, and NHS. Created guidance and templates, status monitoring systems and delivered workshops.
- I put in place diversity measures and performance monitoring systems for my team and the NMC. Creating an EDI governance structure (a new leadership group) that reported into the executive and a staff engagement group that connected into the leadership group.
- Delivered several successful events. For example, in Islington Council the LGBT History Month launch event with key LGBT speakers, and the London Gay Men’s Chorus.
- Writing the annual EDI reports for the NMC from 2016-2019, published on the website. Collating information, analyzing data, and presenting in a digestible format.
- In addition to creating new diversity staff networks in the NMC (LGBT+ network and a Cultural staff network) I created the joint regulators BAME Network in 2019. This has given staff in all 9 healthcare regulators the opportunity to network and come together for joint initiatives e.g. cross organisational mentoring.
- Of the many benchmarks I have submitted evidence to for different organisations; Islington Council ranked in the top 100 for the Stonewall WEI in 2008; and in 2010 Kent and Medway Partnership Trust were chosen on as on of 25 organisations to be an NHS Employers Diversity partners.
- Writing case study examples for the 2014 Equality and Human Rights Commission guidance for regulators and ombudsmen on how to bring human rights to life.
- Developing case studies and delivering training on unconscious bias to the General Medical Council panel members (who make the decisions about the fitness to practice of doctors in the UK) from 2014-2016.
- Writing consulting and implementing Islington Council’s first Sexual Orientation Equality Scheme.
- I informed the development of the Professional Standards Authority new Equality Standard 3. To measure the performance of the 9 health professionals regulators. The PSA used my EDI Framework and annual EDI report as their baseline to collect evidence from the regulators. They piloted the standard with the NMC in 2019.
- Working at the NMC, through my direct contact and by maintaining communication channels I was able to build back relationships with external stakeholders that were previously negative. Some stakeholders became key influencers that were vocally supportive of the work of the NMC.
- Providing guidance on diversity and inclusion best practice; for example writing the first inappropriate language guidance for the Ministry of Justice.
- Stopping the closure of Croydon and Sutton Samaritans branch by putting in place a training strategy that increased the numbers of Samaritans listeners by 20% in 6 months.
Education
MA Human Rights 2004 University of Sussex
Dissertation: Using a human rights framework to combat racial discrimination in the NHS
BA American studies with race and culture 2002 Middlesex University
Dissertation: Caribbean migrants’ perceptions of England pre and post migration
Dissertation: Using a human rights framework to combat racial discrimination in the NHS
BA American studies with race and culture 2002 Middlesex University
Dissertation: Caribbean migrants’ perceptions of England pre and post migration
Qualifications
Continuous Improvement 2018 Institute of CI in Public Services
Statistics for Policy Makers 2013 University of Manchester
Managing Equality and Diversity in an Organisation 2010 ILM
Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector 2009 City and Guilds
EQM Managing Diversity 2007 National School of Government
Understanding Women’s Human Rights 2006 Centre for the Study of Human Rights LSE
Certificate in Discrimination Law 2005 Lexis Nexis
Statistics for Policy Makers 2013 University of Manchester
Managing Equality and Diversity in an Organisation 2010 ILM
Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector 2009 City and Guilds
EQM Managing Diversity 2007 National School of Government
Understanding Women’s Human Rights 2006 Centre for the Study of Human Rights LSE
Certificate in Discrimination Law 2005 Lexis Nexis
