Congratulations to Rising Star Tafara Inniss

The Rising Star Awards are part of RCN London’s celebrations for Black History Month. The awards recognise nurses and healthcare support workers from London’s Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic (BAME) nursing community who have made an outstanding contribution to the capital’s health and care system. The theme this year is anti-racism: literacy and transformation.

Tafara was recognised for acting as a role model and educating and mentoring colleagues to create a more inclusive and supportive working environment.

Tafara was nominated by Joan Henshaw, Ward Manager for the Lotus Assessment Suite. Joan said: “Tafara has been committed to finding ways to make our unit more inclusive and supportive. As a quality improvement project, Tafara developed an induction pack to help bank/agency staff and students feel more supported in their roles and get the most out of their time on the unit.“Tafara has been a key contributor in discussions regarding positively improving the experiences of BAME staff at work. Tafara also takes the time to teach and develop bank/agency staff and students, as she knows this will greatly benefit staff morale and patient care.”

Tafara said: “It is an honour to have been recognised for my work towards improving the experience of BAME staff on my unit. While I’m proud of what we have achieved so far, this is just the beginning and there is still more work to do.“Making sure all staff have access to the right training and support they need – through initiatives like the induction pack – is so important in helping them to feel valued, appreciated and included. Investing in training will not only help us to retain the fantastic nurses we have, but it will attract new staff to the unit too.”

Joan added: “Tafara is a great role model, she is inclusive of others and routinely champions diversity and equality on the unit.”