- It is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research Work and Health Research Programme
- Project targets improvement of staff equality, diversity and inclusion in NHS hospitals
- Research aims to enhance support for working age individuals in healthier and happier work environments.
An Aston University co-led project has received NIHR (National Institute for Health and Care Research) Work and Health Research Programme funding that will support happiness and health in the workplace.
‘EDI Smart-Dash: Supporting health organisations to develop a more inclusive working environment’ is co-led by Professor Roberta Fida from Aston University and the University of Glasgow’s Professor Rosalind Searle at Adam Smith Business School.
It will aim to understand how NHS hospitals currently assess and deal with staff equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) and the challenges they experience. It will also undertake preliminary work to develop a ‘smart’ information tool supporting NHS workplaces to diagnose the problems they face, identify effective changes to make and how to make them.
The programme has awarded £1.5 million in funding to 13 development award projects in total.
The development funding marks the beginning of a substantial investment to boost work and health research within the UK. The research will find better ways to support working age people to remain in, return to, and leave work healthier and happier.
Roberta Fida, professor of organisational behaviour and organisational psychology at Aston University and co-principal investigator of the project, said:
“We are excited to start this project in collaboration with NHS senior leaders and ethnic minority associations such as BAPIO (British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin).”
“This project will allow the development of an evidenced based EDI dashboard which will support NHS leaders to monitor and further improve the working culture.”
Professor Rosalind Searle said:
“Our health workforce draws on the talents from across the world to provide outstanding care. Yet this is a workforce that experiences high levels of bullying, harassment and discrimination.”
“This exciting new evidence-based project combines the skills of researchers from work psychology, human resources and computer science working alongside staff members from NHS trusts to better understand the challenges faced, the current data and identify how it could be improved.”
You can find out more about the project here.
- Notes to Editors
For over a century, Aston University’s enduring purpose has been to make our world a better place through education, research and innovation, by enabling our students to succeed in work and life, and by supporting our communities to thrive economically, socially and culturally.
Aston University’s history has been intertwined with the history of Birmingham, a remarkable city that once was the heartland of the Industrial Revolution and the manufacturing powerhouse of the world.
Born out of the First Industrial Revolution, Aston University has a proud and distinct heritage dating back to our formation as the School of Metallurgy in 1875, the first UK College of Technology in 1951, gaining university status by Royal Charter in 1966, and becoming The Guardian University of the Year in 2020.
Building on our outstanding past, we are now defining our place and role in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (and beyond) within a rapidly changing world.
For media inquiries in relation to this release, contact Sam Cook, Press and Communications Manager, on (+44) 7446 910063 or email: s.cook2@aston.ac.uk
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