One of Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust (LPT)’s employees has been honoured by the Queen.
Asha Day receives the British Empire Medal for “services to the NHS and minority ethnic equality during the Covid response.”
She said: “It is great to start the new year off with something so nice.
“I don’t know who has put me forward, they don’t tell you.
“I will probably celebrate with a takeaway, because I can’t go anywhere!”
Asha has worked for the NHS for 36 years, and is in her third spell at LPT. She is a clinical team leader based in Leicester, leading a team of public health nurses (health visitors).
During the pandemic she helped design a risk assessment, which looked at factors including staff members’ ethnicity and medical history before deciding what role they should play in caring for patients. Members of BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) communities are likely to suffer significantly worse outcomes if they contract Covid-19 than white colleagues.
Asha also helped design race and cultural awareness training for the Trust’s 6,500 staff. She chairs the Trust’s BAME staff support group, co-chairs The British Indian Nurses’ Association, is vice-chair of the Community Practitioners’ and Health Visitors’ Association (CPHVA), and is a Fellow of the Institute of Health Visiting.
Angela Hillery, LPT’s chief executive, said: “I am so pleased to hear of this recognition for Asha, it is truly well deserved and we are very proud of her.”