Macclesfield Hospital has launched an inclusion wall to celebrate equality and cultural diversity across the NHS trust.

The East Cheshire NHS Trust said the purpose of the wall is to inform and educate viewers on aspects of equality, diversity and inclusion, but also for the wall to become a focal point for staff, patients, and service users to engage in meaningful discussions and celebrate difference.

The display is situated along the first-floor corridor of the hospital and is split into three separate sections; a reaffirmation of the trust's ambition, a summary of the nine protected characteristics identified in the Equality Act 2010, and a map representing the 40 nationalities which make up the workforce at East Cheshire NHS Trust.

The trust's Director of Workforce Diversity and Inclusion and Chief Pharmacist Kash Haque led the development of the wall.

Kash said: "We want to ensure that our staff feel like they are part of an inclusive organisation, in which they feel that they have a voice that will be heard and are comfortable in drawing on their personal and cultural heritages to inform good and sensitive practice. "

This will enrich our delivery of patient care and collaboration between our staff."

Lynn McGill, East Cheshire NHS Trust's Chairman of, said: "Everyone counts at ECT and it's important that every voice is heard, this is reflected in the trust's values.

"We encourage a safe and valued workforce and it's really important initiatives such as these which add depth and breadth to our decision making as an organisation."