Coventry HDRC’s Diversity and Inclusion Position Statement  - Print version

Diversity and Inclusion Position Statement 

We commit to...  

We know that having a mix of different people and backgrounds is important for building a strong research infrastructure and understanding the reasons behind health inequalities in our community. Our aim is to make sure our research reflects the needs and experiences of people in Coventry, recognising that everyone comes from different backgrounds and has their own needs.  

With this statement we want to make sure that everybody is treated fairly and has the same opportunities. We want to celebrate diverse human attributes, including age, gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, and more. We want all members of our communities to feel that they are valued, respected, and included regardless of their background or identity.   

Coventry Health Determinants Research Collaboration (HDRC) plays a part in supporting Coventry City Council’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy and Workforce Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (2025-2028). Both the policy and strategy set out Coventry City Council’s responsibilities as an employer and its commitment to the principles of diversity and inclusion.   

We also work to the National Institute of Health and Care Research’s (NIHR) Research Inclusion Strategy, which aims to widen access and participation for greater diversity and inclusion.  

Key Strategies  

How the public can get involved  

We want to make sure that the community can have its say in research that might affect them. We learn from listening to others, so the more we talk to people, the more we will learn. Public involvement in the Coventry HDRC will ensure research is done 'with' and 'by' people in Coventry, not 'to', 'for', or 'about' them.  

We have established a group known as the Public Voice Group (PVG), which is made up of Coventry residents. They provide feedback and talk about issues and topics that are important to their communities. We will listen to and learn from the PVG and by doing so, our research will benefit from their unique views, experiences, and insights.  The group is made up of people from diverse backgrounds, with wide ranging experiences and new members are always welcome.  â€¯ 

Coventry HDRC recognises the important role that voluntary organisations play in research. The Voluntary Sector Reference Group (VSRG) works well with other groups because it makes sure that the public is involved and uses the community's knowledge. This means that HDRC partners and internal teams can work well with voluntary sector partners. This partnership makes the most of the skills available within the VSRG, offering a joint point of view from HDRC voluntary sector partners within Coventry's HDRC leadership and management structures.  

The VSRG makes sure that the research training and development opportunities funded by the HDRC are what the voluntary sector partners and the people they support need.  

Training and skills  

We offer training courses for residents, Council staff and the voluntary sector to gain and develop knowledge and skills in research. Our aim is to make sure that everyone can access these programmes fairly and that they are inclusive in both design and content.  

We will collect and review data to understand who is taking part in our training programmes and we will identify any gaps and so that we can actively do more to reach people from different social backgrounds.   

To make our training better, we will collect and study information about who takes part in these programmes. This will help us understand who is taking advantage of our training and whether we can prove that we are reaching more people from different social backgrounds.  

Hiring new staff  

We will follow the rules set out in the Coventry City Council Workforce Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy and Workforce Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (2025-2028), and make sure that everyone who applies for a job has an equal chance of being recruited, selected or promoted.  

We will also check the data we collected on protected characteristics from the recruitment and research governance application process to make sure we are meeting our objectives.  

Keeping track of how well things are going  

Coventry HDRC’s management committee is responsible for ensuring D and I objectives run throughout the work of the HDRC. Each pillar is required to include D and I actions in their yearly plans, and the Management Committee monitors and reviews progress. This review will be tracked through the Executive and Independent Steering Committee.