Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust’s Journey in Anti-Racism, Research, and Global Health

Global Health Partnerships (GHP) and Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust marked Race Equality Week by celebrating the Experts in Our Midst.  

The event brought together staff, researchers, and diaspora health leaders to explore how anti-racism, research innovation, and global health engagement are shaping Mersey Care’s journey toward becoming a globally engaged Trust. The event was a reaffirmation of commitment, a showcase of progress, and a space to ask, ‘what’s next?’

The event highlighted the impact of diaspora professionals in the NHS, amplifying their expertise, stories, and perspectives.  

Justine Nakimuli, Cultural Sensitivity Lead at Mersey Care, shared her journey of initially finding belonging in the NHS, where staff and patients there reflected her diverse background. However, she later recognised the systemic barriers diaspora professionals face in progressing. This led her to research the impact of discrimination on patient outcomes. 

Moses Mulimira, Diaspora Engagement Advisor at GHP, shared insights on his role in developing East London NHS Foundation Trust’s global health programmes in Uganda, his country of heritage. His engagement with diaspora communities was supported at an institutional level, enabling structured mentorship, outreach, and international collaboration. 

Both Justine and Moses emphasised how maintaining professional and cultural links with their heritage enhances their development within the NHS. Their global engagement has allowed them to bring back skills, insights, and innovations that enrich their home organisations. Attendees reflected on these insights and engaged in discussions on how NHS organisations, including Mersey Care, can better harness diaspora leadership in global health. Conversations explored strategies to institutionalise diaspora engagement, from creating forums to showcase global health contributions to providing staff with opportunities to participate in international projects. The discussion underscored the importance of shifting from individual efforts to systemic approaches that recognise and integrate diaspora expertise within the NHS.  

Mersey Care’s commitment to anti-racism aligns with the core aims of the Experts in Our Midst programme – centring inclusion and race equality in leadership and decision-making to ensure the UK’s healthcare system benefits fully from its multinational workforce.  

Mersey Care’s Assistant Director of Organisational Effectiveness, Stacey Bullock, outlined the Trust’s evolving Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) strategy, with a strong focus on anti-racism. 

A significant milestone is the launch of Mersey Care’s Introduction to Anti-Racism e-learning module, completed by 10,000 staff. The Trust has also achieved Bronze-level recognition under the NWBAME Assembly Framework, a structured roadmap for NHS organisations to become intentionally anti-racist. 

 By embedding anti-racism at every level, the Trust not only fosters a more inclusive workplace but also strengthens its capacity to recognise, platform, and empower diaspora and internationally trained staff, key to tackling systemic inequalities in healthcare. 

Mersey Care is also leading the way in inclusive research. Dr. Oladayo Bifarin, Research Effectiveness Lead, highlighted the pivotal role of research in transforming healthcare. One of the most ambitious projects is the Mental Health Research for Innovation Centre (M-RIC), co-led by Mersey Care and the University of Liverpool. With £10.5 million in funding, this initiative is shaping the future of mental health care. 

Mersey Care strives to be a “research-ready organisation”, breaking barriers so that staff and patients actively engage in research. The Count Me In initiative, led by Dr Oladayo, ensures that research opportunities are equitable, visible, and accessible. By expanding access to research opportunities, Count Me In is expected to drive greater participation, leading to more inclusive studies, improved healthcare services, and ultimately, better health and social care outcomes for all. 

Findings from GHP and the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine’s research on the impact of diaspora engagement on health systems strengthening in UK, Kenya and Ghana were presented for the first time at the event. These early insights reinforced the immense contribution of diaspora health workers in both the UK and their countries of heritage. The full research is set to be published in Summer 2025, offering a deeper analysis of how diaspora engagement drives sustainable improvements in global health. 

Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust is leading the way in embedding anti-racism, research, and global engagement as fundamental components of its organisational identity. The event demonstrated how NHS organisations can contribute towards an equitable, research-driven, and globally connected UK healthcare system that uplifts the 1 in 5 NHS staff that report a non-British nationality – the Experts in Our Midst.