Lambeth brings home equality, diversity and inclusion accolades in south east London awards ceremony
We’re pleased to share that, at the first ever South East London ICS Equalities Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Conference & Awards on Tuesday 4 March, the Sickle Cell Support Project led by the Cost of Living Team at Lambeth Council was given an Innovation in Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion Award. Also for Lambeth, Juliet Amoa, Assistant Director for Community Health and Engagement, was awarded Highly Commended under the ‘Inspirational Inclusive Leadership’ category.
The theme of the event was Empowering our EDI community, and brought together leaders and colleagues from across the system, insightful EDI experts and – in the judges’ words – some exceptional finalists.
Innovation in Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion: Sickle Cell Support Project
The Sickle Cell Support Project was set up to improve the health and well-being of residents with sickle cell, preventing their health condition from worsening over winter due to having cold homes. 30 residents with sickle cell disease and on a low-income were contacted by a Financial Link Worker to take part in the scheme. The residents and Financial Link Workers worked together to design and plan interventions led by the needs of the resident. All 30 residents received support to maximise their incomes, and by the end of the project 70% of participants said the service had a positive impact on their health and wellbeing. 13 residents were supported to make savings of over £2,000 per year through energy efficiency measures and eight residents were supported into employment.
The project was led by the Lambeth Council Cost-of-Living team and key stakeholders engaged in the development of this project were: the Sickle Cell Outpatient Clinic at Guy’s and St Thomas’, GPs and PCNs, Community Care, Sickle Cell Society and Sickle Cell Support groups, Energy Systems Catapult and Green Doctor. As well as a number of teams at Lambeth council including Public Health, Lambeth HEART, Economic Inclusion, Adult Social Care and Housing.
Inspirational Inclusive Leadership: Juliet Amoa
Juliet Amoa, Assistant Director for Community Health and Engagement, was awarded highly commended for their outstanding leadership and fostering an inclusive culture, driving meaningful change, and inspiring others through unwavering dedication to equity and inclusion. It’s been recognised that their work has made a tangible difference in creating environments where people feel respected, valued, and supported.
Some of Juliet’s achievements include – Juliet Co-Chair’s the Lambeth Together Equalities Diversity and Inclusion Group, ensuring equity, diversity, and inclusion are integral to all programmes and scrutinises projects through an EDI lens. She has helped design an EDI leadership programme for senior leaders in Lambeth Together, and has guided an action plan improve workforce race equality in social care recruitment, promotion, and career development. She also oversees work on the Patient and Care Race Equality Framework to improve race equality in patient and care services as part of the Lambeth Together partnership. She’s also Co-Leader of ‘Global Majority United Leaders: a national forum, providing a safe and collaborative space for Council leaders from the Global Majority to share ideas and solutions. She was also Chair of the ‘Tackling Race Inequality Programme’ which led the delivery of a ‘Pan-London Antiracism Statement and Race Equality Standard’ for London Councils, addressing race inequalities city-wide.
Dr Di Aitken, Co-Chair of the Lambeth Together Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion Working Group, Lambeth GP, and Co-Chair of Lambeth Together Care Partnership Board said: “I’m incredibly proud that Lambeth has been recognised with not one, but two awards at the first-ever South East London ICS EDI Conference and Awards. The Sickle Cell Support Project is a testament to our commitment to tackling health inequalities, and Juliet Amoa’s recognition reflects the outstanding leadership that drives our work forward. These achievements highlight the dedication of our colleagues in making Lambeth a fairer, more inclusive place for everyone.”
More about the South East London ICS EDI Awards
The awards were handed out in a range of different categories, showcasing the breadth of EDI work embedded throughout south east London. The judges stressed the exceptional quality of the entries and nominations, and the difficulty of choosing winners. Many congratulations to all the remaining winners, highly commended and finalists.