Evie keeps eye on equality
An NHS surgeon has been praised for addressing the ‘elephant in the room’ as the first elected Chair of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at the Royal College of Ophthalmologists (RCOphth).
The RCOphth is the first of the ‘royal colleges’ of medicine to turn the spotlight on itself after calls for the colleges to show greater inclusivity.
Evie Mensah, who said: “I am passionate about fairness, equity and justice and we have to ask ourselves why the majority of the NHS’s workforce comprise of global majority groups yet the numbers in more senior roles is disproportionally small.
“We also see far less women in these roles and we need to look at how we can offer more support and opportunity to address that.”
Evie was initially reluctant to apply for the role and being seen as the ‘token Black woman’ but changed her mind after speaking to several of her counterparts in similar roles both in and outside the NHS.
“It’s a subject I feel strongly about and the only way to move things forward is by speaking up. It’s no good standing on the side lines if you want to change things."
Evie’s initial speech at the RCOphth’s annual conference in Birmingham was met enthusiastically by its 4,000 strong membership with many people approaching her afterwards
“The feedback I have received has been amazing and overwhelming positive because I addressed the elephant in the room but in way that allowed people to feel comfortable enough to approach me and ask questions. My challenge to everyone was to do some reading and just be more aware of the issues."
Evie says her ambitions for the RCOphth include developing a diverse and inclusive leadership that can best serve its trainees and patients.
“I’m really looking forward to the challenge over the next three years and seeing how far we can take this.”