From clinic to culture: leading on equality and diversity as a consultant physician

My decision to join the NHS 

I graduated from a medical school in Bangladesh. My supervisor there trained in the NHS and was a member of the Royal College of Physicians.

I saw him as a role model in terms of his professionalism and work ethic. I remember thinking that I wanted to be just like him at some point in my own career. He described the NHS as a fair and equitable healthcare system. My awareness of the NHS and its opportunities inspired me to pass the Royal College of Physicians exams. A career as a doctor in the UK followed.  

I joined the NHS in 2008. I’ve worked in various places across the UK, including Manchester, Swansea, Plymouth, Glasgow, Edinburgh and now Aberdeen. It’s been useful to experience different aspects of healthcare delivery across the country.

My best career advice 

My role model, Professor Kahhar, told me, “You should never settle for being small.” I always knew that the path for an international medical graduate was not going to be an easy one. 

I wanted to become a consultant physician and get involved in medical education. I’m pleased that, in addition to my role as a clinician, I am director of the specialised foundation programme for the North of Scotland. I also have a role at the University of Aberdeen.  

My role at NHS Grampian

As a consultant stroke physician, a key part of my role is leading a team that provides consultant-led care, 24 hours a day. This includes the management of acute stroke emergencies. We are based at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, but we also cover the North of Scotland as the specialist centre.

Specialist stroke centre

We might receive a call from a remote and rural hospital in the middle of the night during severe weather. The call can be about a patient who has experienced an acute stroke. Our colleagues may need advice about whether to transfer the patient to a tertiary centre. When we receive a call like this, our team must respond quickly. This can involve rushing to the emergency department to stabilise the patient and take over their care.

Training medical students and resident doctors

The second part of my role involves training medical students and resident doctors alongside my clinical activities. I attend several senior staff meetings to decide about care pathways. I manage education and training of academic foundation trainees in the North of Scotland. I try to ensure good quality postgraduate training and create a fair and effective training environment. I also liaise with educational supervisors of trainees who may need additional support.

My equality and diversity role

I applied for the role of equality, diversity and inclusivity champion about 4 years ago and devote a day a week to this.  

I’m at the stage of raising awareness of equality and diversity. I’ve done quite a bit of work in this area within NHS Grampian and the University of Aberdeen.  

There is scope to improve equity among diverse groups of doctors, particularly international medical graduates. I’m also keen to champion initiatives that help eradicate microaggressions. These can be verbal or behavioural slights that can communicate hostile or negative attitudes to members of marginalised groups. I have lived experience of this.  

We have run projects to learn from resident doctors who have experienced discrimination and racism while in training. This is one of the reasons that my equality and diversity role is so important to me and why I aim to make our workplace a fairer environment for everyone.  

Current equality and diversity initiatives  

NHS Grampian has 16,500 staff, and there is still some way to go in terms of awareness of equality, diversity, and inclusion. 

I work collaboratively with the executive team at NHS Grampian and Aberdeen Medical School aimed at eradicating racism in the NHS.  

NHS Grampian Diversity Festival

I was also an advocate for the NHS Grampian Diversity Festival, as part of our ‘Speak Up’ month activities. This 2023 event helped colleagues across the organisation learn more about the importance of an inclusive workplace culture.

In 2024, we held a follow-up event called Speak Up Week and Antiracism One Year On. This celebrated one year of committing to be an antiracist organisation and to update on our progress. Plans for 2025 are now being developed. As an organisation, we have accomplished much in the last 4 years, but there is so much more to do.