The BartsAbility network currently has 3 Group Co-Chairs: Adeshola Akanji, Ben Taylor, and Ian Longhurst. The network is committed to promoting positive change and enhancing the working experience for colleagues at Barts Health NHS Trust, who have visible and hidden disabilities, long-term health conditions, or who are neurodivergent. and to advocate for an environment where all abilities are acknowledged, barriers are identified and removed, staff members are supported to be themselves at their very best, and to achieve their potential within Barts Health.
The aim for 2025/26 is as follows:
Expand the scope of our network.
Enhance the Workplace Adjustments process.
Promote the utilisation of the BartsAbility Passport.
Increase awareness of both visible and hidden disabilities.
Encourage colleagues to share their status on the Employee Self-Report (ESR) platform.
Foster a work environment where colleagues feel safe and supported in expressing their thoughts and feelings.
Strengthen our initiatives in support of dyslexia and neurodiversity.
Assess the feasibility of senior leadership sharing their experiences related to disabilities or long-term health conditions.
Promote the newly launched Disability policy and the BartsAbility podcast.
Three Co-Chairs chair the BartsAbility Staff Network.
Each of the hospital sites is represented by two site leads who report to the Co-Chairs and are responsible to the broader network. The site leads receive support from designated ambassadors.
The reasonable adjustment working and neurodiversity focus groups report directly to the Co-Chairs and are accountable to the wider network. BartsAbility is supported by an Executive Sponsor, and the network is accountable to the Deputy Group Director and the Inclusion Board for matters requiring escalation and approval.
BartsAbility collaborates with the following entities:
– Inclusion Centre
– Other staff networks
– Other NHS Trusts
Over the years, the disability network started to decline in its visibility and membership engagement within the Trust, which led to the Co-Chairs reviewing how the network can increase it’s visibility and membership engagement. One of the main areas were supporting disability and neurodiversity training, holding events to increase disability awareness, sharing lived experiences, attending Schwartz rounds to promote disability in a psychologically safe environment, supporting safe to share campaigns where colleagues could share their concerns in a psychologically safe environment and requesting senior leadership representation in the disability events and meetings. The network has also been presenting to other organisations on disability and neurodiversity related topics, and was part of the panel during the NHS Employers Disability Summit in 2025, on the topic, “Equity in recruitment”.
The network also launched the disability podcast last year to ensure that colleagues who do not have access to a computer, for example, the staff who work in estates. The podcast is released in social media platforms where they are accessible to an array of people and can be listened to flexibly. he aim and objectives of the Podcast is to invite staff members with long term health conditions and disability, staff who are carers or family with disability in the family, with their consent to share their journey, barriers they face, challenges and resources/ support they have accessed, to help other colleagues with their story and to raise the visibility of the BartsAbility Network. We are also extending the invitation to colleagues whose roles involve supporting individuals with disabilities.
The power of storytelling has long been recognised as a way to connect people on a deeper level and create empathy and understanding. Through the BartsAbility Podcast, individuals will have the opportunity to share their journeys, triumphs, and obstacles faced due to their disabilities or those of their loved ones. By shining a light on these experiences, we hope to foster a sense of community and support within the Barts Health network.
During the process of developing a reasonable adjustment standard operating procedure, it was highlighted that although many policies reference disability, however, there was no standalone disability policy. This led to the drafting of a new disability policy, which was launched in April 2025. This has also resulted in the sickness absence management policy being reviewed to ensure it aligns with the new disability policy.
The network has increased its membership and developed work plan themes to focus on with the input from the network members: Anchor institutions, Career development, Oversight, Recruitment, Training and support, Trust culture, and Workplace adjustments.
BartsAbility network continues to support colleagues with disability or long-term health conditions to improve their working lives so they feel heard and have a sense of belonging in the organisation.
