Accelerate Action: A Personal Reflection on International Women's Day
As we celebrate International Women's Day 2025, the theme #AccelerateAction resonates deeply with me. It underscores the urgency of taking swift and decisive steps to achieve gender equality. This theme calls for increased momentum in addressing the systemic barriers and biases that women face, both in personal and professional spheres.
I have spent over 30 years working in public sector procurement, and during that time, the landscape has changed significantly. Women now make up over 70% of the NHS workforce, from clinical roles to senior management, technology, and administration. Throughout my career, I have been fortunate to progress to where I am now, thanks to the support of colleagues and management in my various workplaces, as well as accessing training and development opportunities such as the Mary Seacole NHS Leadership Programme.
With so many changes on the horizon in the NHS, it is more important than ever that we create a supportive environment for women within our workforce. I, along with other colleagues, established a support group for NOE CPC colleagues experiencing menopause or perimenopause to share experiences and support each other through challenging times and how to manage that in the workplace. I am immensely proud to serve as the Deputy Chair of the HCSA Women in Procurement and Supply Chain Network, the very first national network dedicated to women in healthcare procurement. Our primary aim is to address women's issues in the workplace and drive positive change. The network supports diversity, inclusion, and gender balance, ensuring equal opportunity and participation at all levels and in all aspects. The network’s four areas of focus are:
Educate: Provide educational support around difficult topics such as unconscious bias, menopause, loss, mentoring.
Support: Encourage allyship through the network and widen the reach of women supporting women.
Celebrate: Share all the great work being done by women and actively promote role models
Recruitment & retention: Help tackle this key issue being faced by frontline colleagues
The HCSA Women’s Network will be holding an event on 10th September and will include speakers who will be showing how important male allyship is to achieving accelerated action to eradicate gender bias and Rachel Philpotts will be helping our members to identify and manage symptoms of burnout. Gender equality isn't just something I am enthusiastic about promoting at work. As a parent, I strive for a better future for my daughter. In some respects, we have made significant strides towards parity and equality, particularly in education on topics such as unconscious bias, menopause, and mentoring. However, there is still a long way to go in other areas.
If we continue to encourage allyship and expand the reach of women supporting women, we can begin to shorten the timescales to achieve full gender parity. The theme #AccelerateAction is a powerful reminder that we must act now, with urgency and determination, to create a world where gender equality is not just an aspiration but a reality.