Empowering BME staff through reciprocal mentoring
Overview
In 2021 Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust launched a six-month reciprocal mentoring programme to support Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) nursing staff in leadership development. The initiative fostered mutual learning through a trauma informed approach, which strengthened a sense of belonging, feeling of being invested in and enhanced confidence and career visibility for participants.
By fostering mutual learning, trust, and visibility, the initiative has improved confidence, cultural awareness, and career progression for participants while modelling the compassionate leadership values that underpin the NHS People Promise. The programme has gained regional and national recognition for its approach to inclusion and leadership development.
What the organisation faced
National data from the 2024 Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES) report show that only 48.8 per cent of BME staff believe their trust provides equal opportunities for career progression, compared with 59.4 per cent of white staff. These persistent disparities highlight the ongoing need for focused interventions that address inequality and build cultural competence within leadership.
In response to both internal staff survey findings and national WRES data, the trust identified a need to support underrepresented BME staff to develop confidence, influence and career progression pathways. This insight led to the creation of a reciprocal mentoring programme with a trauma informed approach designed to promote equity, empathy, and organisational learning.
What the organisation did
Pamela Shaw, Lead Nurse for Workforce Resilience, initiated the programme within the Community Children’s Services Leadership Team in October 2021 after strategic discussions and research. This led to engaging with the Trauma Informed Care (TIC) Programme Team co-working with Sue Francis, TIC Workforce Development Lead. The trust developed an internally facilitated six-month mentoring programme pairing BME staff at Bands 5 and 6 with senior leaders at Band 8 and above.
The programme included promotional communications, three workshops, structured tools, trauma informed principles, a mentor workbook, and monthly reflective sessions to support learning and relationship building. The workshops promoted psychological safety and cultural sensitivity, using case studies from Unite in Health Black & Asian Ethnic Minority (BAEM) Education Resource.
Results and benefits
- 50 per cent of BME staff in the first cohort and 60 per cent in the second cohort experienced tangible career benefits securing promotions.
- Participants reported increased confidence, empowerment, and clarity around their career pathways.
- Senior leaders gained deeper understanding of BME staff experiences characterised by race, power, and inclusion within workplace culture.
- Cross-band mentor relationships fostered collaboration and ongoing peer support beyond the formal programme.
- The programme received endorsement from national nursing leaders, including Duncan Burton, Chief Nursing Officer at NHS England, and recognition from regional Workforce Lead Victoria Bagshaw who contributed along with trust senior leaders and mentors at the cohorts celebration events in 2022 and 2023.
- It continues to inform local and national good practice discussions through the Reciprocal Mentors Network (RMsN).
Sustainability and growth
The programme has the potential to be expanded across other protected characteristics. Following the success of the initial cohorts, it has been embedded within the trust’s Belonging and Inclusion Plan and Trauma-Informed Care Strategy.
Cohort 4 is scheduled to begin in February 2026 and looking ahead, the trust plans to extend the model to include mentoring for additional protected characteristics, such as LGBTQ+ and disability, further reinforcing its commitment to intersectional inclusion.
The Reciprocal Mentors Network (RMsN) now supports mentors across cohorts to share learning, sustain peer connections, and continue influencing organisational culture. Evaluation feedback informs ongoing refinement, ensuring that reciprocal mentoring remains responsive to staff experience and system needs.
Takeaway tips
- Embed psychological safety, coaching approach and trauma informed principles at every stage of programme design.
- Use structured tools and reflective workbooks to guide meaningful, reciprocal learning.
- Engage senior leadership and staff networks early to secure organisational commitment.
- Monitor progress through regular workshops and feedback sessions to maintain improvement.
- Expand participation across protected characteristics to promote intersectional equity.
- Share learning through regional and national networks to build collective impact.
- Celebrate achievements to reinforce programme impact and sustainability. Share aims and outcome of the reciprocal mentoring programme at nursing conferences, nursing journals and networking events.
Contact details
For more information about the work in this case study, contact Pamela Shaw, Lead Nurse, Workforce Resilience or Susan Francis, Workforce Development Lead - Trauma Informed Care, Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust.
