See ME First water bottle

Water bottle with orange screw cap, with the words See ME First, and logo of six colours representing differing levels of melanin in skin tones and the word NHS on a blue background, part of an initiative to improve inclusivity, equality, and diversity and start conversations, developed by Delia Mills, Beverleigh Senior and Paul Attwal at Whittington Health NHS Trust in 2020

‘We see you no matter who you are. We are ‘Stronger Together’ in the quest for equity, for all staff and patients to have that sense of belonging, providing care and in our care.’ See ME First team

See ME First is based on the ideology from Martin Luther King Junior’s 1963 I have a dream speech ‘that people will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character.'

In October 2020, as part of Black History Month, See ME First began at Whittington Health NHS Trust. It is a staff led initiative to send out the collective message of equality, diversity and inclusivity to ensure staff equitably achieve their full potential without barriers, and to be seen for who they are without judgement. In the first month over 500 staff members made their pledge.

The initiative requires staff to make an individual pledge of support and the wearing of the See ME First Badge. This badge is their visible personal commitment to support the cause of racial equity, where listening and speaking up is encouraged. The 10 key principles of See ME First are to: listen, speak up, support, challenge, seek support of allies, teach, including, influence, impact and promote.

See ME First has won several national, regional and local awards. 40 other NHS organisations, including social care have adopted the initiative. Teams have found that staff who are included and listened to provide better patient care and improved patient outcomes.