A welcome start for our new equity, diversity and belonging committee

The committee, which met for the first time today (2 March), has been set up to provide expertise, insight and advice to CSP Council on all matters relating to equity, diversity and belonging.

As part of their duties, the committee’s eleven members will be

• Monitoring the progress and achievements of the CSP’s equity, diversity and belonging strategy – including consideration against the indicators of success and action plans
• Making recommendations about how the equity, diversity and belonging strategy/elements of the CSP corporate strategy should evolve over time
• Undertaking in-depth consideration of policy decisions to inform council’s overall decision-making
• Acting as spokespersons for CSP and providing quotes for CSP press statements or Frontline articles, for example
• Informing operational work, i.e. member monitoring data categories; equality impact assessments; training and development for groups of members (for example, stewards or council and committee members) and providing input and guidance on language and terminology

Meet the committee members

Charli Robertson(she/her/hers) 

Since qualifying from Coventry University in 2010, Charli has spent the majority of her career working in performance sports settings including professional and international team sports and Olympic winter sport. She also has previous experience in the NHS and private practice.

An openly gay woman, diagnosed with Autism in 2020, Charli has an engrained passion for ensuring equity and opportunity within our profession. Charli also has volunteering experience delivering workshops in schools for the LGBTQ+ charity ‘Diversity Role Models’ as well as public speaking around her experiences of neurodiversity.   

As part of her involvement with the equity, diversity and belonging committee, Charli hopes to create and contribute towards impactful change in the profession of physiotherapy and support the visibility, progression and recognition of under-represented groups. 

Georgie Eckersley (she/her)

Georgie is currently a Lecturer of Physiotherapy at the University of Liverpool specialising in cardiorespiratory physiotherapy and mental health and wellbeing.

She has experience of working a variety of settings including ICU, palliative care and COPD teams as well as experience in both acute and community settings. A large part of her current role involves supporting disabled students to achieve their potential and she is passionate about reducing health inequalities. 

Since Jan 2018, she has been a volunteer trustee and grants officer for an Armed force veteran’s charity based in Newcastle under Lyme, Staffordshire. The charity is primarily a ‘drop-in’ centre that supports Armed forces service personnel, veterans and their families across Staffordshire.  

Justine Musiime

Justine is a Clinical Lead on the Enhanced Health in Care Homes Programme, Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust (HCT). After qualifying as a physiotherapist in Uganda, she went on to complete an MSc in Exercise and Nutrition Science from the University of Chester and a Master of Public Health from the University of Warwick.

Out of her passion for improving health equity, she founded Siima School, a nursery and primary school in Uganda that provides holistic education and aims to support the children to manifest their potential.  

Justine is an active member of the CSP BAME Network and is also Vice Chair of the HCT BAME Network.  

She was part of the reference group that formulated the CSP EDB strategy and is excited about seeing the EDB committee move the EDB work forward within the CSP. 

Sudhir Daya (he/him/)

Sudhir is a gay, cisgender, able-bodied male of South Asian heritage who grew up in apartheid South Africa before emigrating to the UK.

He works in the private sector and runs a clinic in central London (Integrated Health). He founded The Life Architect (a human potential consultancy) offering coaching, training, speaking and facilitation services including the man.I.cure project that explores structural patriarchy.

He currently has a focus on Equity, Diversity, Inclusivity & Belonging (EDIB) and is chair of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy's LGBTQIA+ network and a member of its BAME network. He lectures on Hertfordshire University’s postgrad Leadership course.  

Jack Holroyde

Jack is an outpatients MSK physiotherapist at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Woolwich, where he is a CSP representative. 

Jack is passionate that first class healthcare should be freely available for everyone regardless of class, colour, gender, sexuality, disability, or native language. 
 
Jack has been involved in queer rights activism for 20 years, having worked and held trusteeships at a number of local and national LGBTQ+ voluntary and charity organisations. He has spent the last three years developing and delivering training nationally for HCPs around LGB and Trans issues affecting health access. 

Ema Swingwood (she/her)

Ema is currently a NIHR Clinical Academic Research Fellow at the University of the West of England. Her substantive post is as the Respiratory Pathway Lead Physiotherapist at University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust. Her area of clinical expertise and interest is ventilation, weaning and complex airway clearance. 

She has been a member of the Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Respiratory Care since 2008 and a committee member since 2016, completing the Chair term in January 2022.

During this time particularly, she has become acutely aware of the lack of diversity within our profession and the discrepancies of opportunity for all. She is excited to join this committee, sharing learning with colleagues whilst contributing to lasting changes within our profession.

Sarine Baz

Sarine has worked in an array of clinical settings as a junior and senior physiotherapist prior to becoming the Team Lead Physiotherapist within the Neurosciences team at University Hospital Coventry & Warwickshire NHS Trust.

She is an alumnus of the CSP leadership development programme and has supported CSP members as a local workplace and regional steward for the West Midlands.

Most recently she has embarked on the experience of working in New Zealand to gain a further understanding of structures, policies and procedures of a different healthcare system with a strong focus on inclusivity and equitability.

Sarine is passionate about making a positive and meaningful difference and is excited to work as part of the Equity, Diversity and Belonging Committee.

Gwyn Owen

Gwyn is a senior lecturer at St George’s University London. She qualified as a physiotherapist in 1988, and has worked as a children’s physiotherapist, a physiotherapy lecturer and a CSP Professional Advisor.

She has a long-standing interest and commitment to addressing EDI issues. This is driven by a value of fairness and honesty instilled in her as a child; and has been fed through study of Sociology and experiences of working with physiotherapy service users, peers and students from diverse backgrounds.

Gwyn uses the privileges she has as a white female physiotherapist to address issues of social justice through her learning and development and networking activities. 

Andrea Wright

Andrea Wright, MCSP, MSc is a Chartered Physiotherapist, somatic educator, facilitator at Integra Therapy working in private practice. She utilises embodied, art-based creative methods to enable her clients and groups to develop skilful tools to manage their mental and physical wellbeing.

She is an active member of the CSP’s BAME and LGBTQIA+ diversity networks and co-chair of the informal intersectional diversity network. She speaks and offers trauma-informed workshops on areas of wellbeing and equity.

Andrea is also the founder of Black Swan Wellness to Work Initiative; an employability project supporting Black people with mental health and chronic pain and their carers in Lambeth. 

James Calvert

James is a second-year at the University of East Anglia. He is due to complete his BSc in Physiotherapy in 2023. He has had experience in a range of different clinical environments including spending time in a private hospital in New Delhi.  

He is passionate about improving the university’s current clubs and societies and has joined multiple committees including the physiotherapy, volleyball, and karate committees. Representing the physiotherapy society in the union council enabled him to have a bigger voice and have discussions and resolutions regarding equity, diversity, and inclusivity issues. These roles have also enabled him to have a wide range of experience with committee working.  

He has a keen interest and commitment to combating EDI issues within physiotherapy and in universities and hopes to spend his time during his university career to help provide further opportunities to both students and practicing physiotherapists. 

Aishnine Benjamin (non-CSP member)

Aishnine is currently the Head of Equality Inclusion and Culture at the BMA. She has worked as a diversity and inclusion professional for over fifteen years; in various bodies, such as the NHS, GMC, NMC, Ministry of Justice and local authorities.

She is passionate about creating inclusive working environments and changing organisational cultures to deliver the intended outcomes – with standardised diversity monitoring, effective training and evaluation.

Aishnine’s academic background is in race, culture and Human Rights. Her fields of study included Caribbean migrants’ perceptions of England, using a human rights framework to tackle discrimination and improving racial literacy to tackle discrimination. 

More information about the committee and further details about its members can be found here