Nurses and Midwives Leading the Shift
Cultural Intelligence was one of the key themes identified by the FNF nursing and midwifery community as part of research carried out to identify the skills and knowledge that future nurse and midwife leaders will require in the coming years. Nurses and midwives clearly see the need to improve their understanding and improve ways of working with peers and patients from different cultures.
These results stirred us to develop our new ‘Culture of Togetherness Programme’ – a three-day, practical and reflective journey designed to strengthen psychological safety, deepen belonging, and build cultural intelligence across teams.
We created it because the NHS is changing: over 26% of the workforce is now from black and minority ethnic backgrounds, yet the data shows significant differences in experiences of inclusion and opportunity (WRES, 2023). If we want the workforce to thrive—and patients to receive the safest, most compassionate care—we must learn to connect better regardless of cultural preference or accents.
FNF’s Leadership Development Facilitator, Peter Roxburgh, shares feedback and initial impacts of the inaugural Culture of Togetherness programme, with participants from University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust.
Creating a Safe Space
At its heart, the Culture of Togetherness Programme is about creating safe spaces for open, gracious, and sometimes vulnerable conversations. This will help staff truly see each other, beyond the cultural assumptions and misunderstandings, recognise the beauty and complexity of working across cultures, and explore why these differences matter in real NHS teams.
Over the three days, participants unpack what psychological safety looks and feels like, and why it’s essential for speaking up, learning together, and challenging respectfully. They also explore power, privilege, belonging, and cultural grace—topics that often go unspoken but profoundly shape how teams function.
Most importantly, people walk away with practical tools, insights, and everyday actions that help them connect more effectively across cultures, build trust, and approach colleagues with compassionate curiosity.
Conversations and Connections
For this cohort, attendees came from diverse roles, bands and cultures, creating a microcosm of the NHS itself. Some knew each other well, while others met for the first time. The face-to-face format allowed for real conversation and connection, especially through activities like the 4H Conversations—Heritage, Hurdles, Highlights, and Hope—which encouraged participants to share parts of their story that rarely surface at work.
Programme Sessions
Day 1 set the tone. To break the perception that this was going to be a heavy and serious three days, we started by doing a quick ‘around the world’ quiz in groups. This immediately created laughter and piqued curiosity around cultures. We then explored practical ways to improve the 4 Stages of Psychological Safety (Dr. T Clark). Some of the most powerful moments came as participants heard colleagues say, “I didn’t speak up because I was afraid of my pronunciation” or “In my culture we never challenge the manager because they are higher than us.”
Day 2 shifted the energy into conversations about power, privilege, and belonging. These discussions were stretching in all the right ways. Participants unpacked the seven types of power, reflected on their own privilege, and explored what belonging feels like in practice. One attendee said, “I’ve never felt discriminated against even though 3 of my 10 identity factors are not within the dominant category.” This raised a great conversation around the impact that certain identity markers have compared to others. Even though this day was particularly heavy and challenging, what I so appreciated about the group was the amount of grace, vulnerability, honest reflection, compassion and laughter there was.
Day 3 introduced the concept of cultural grace, the ability to navigate cultural differences with humility, curiosity, and compassion, and the ability to be gracious to those that ‘get it wrong’. We researched key aspects of the different cultures that are represented within the Trust – learning about their foods, languages, customs, quirky facts and customs. We laughed as we talked about how different cultural dimensions impact behaviour, mindset and communication.
Making a Difference
Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.
“This course was absolutely amazing! I have learnt so much and will definitely be using aspects I have learnt in both my professional and my personal life.”
“The course has been incredibly useful and has given me a whole new lens through which to view relationships with colleagues.”
“I’ve learnt to consider how this might land for the other person, and make adaptations if needed.”
“I will definitely be having more curious conversations with other cultures.”
Why This Matters for Nurses, Midwives, and Organisations
Nurses and midwives consistently navigate high-pressure environments, emotionally charged situations, and culturally diverse peer and patient groups. When they feel psychologically safe, included, and culturally confident, care improves—not only in technical quality but in compassion, collaboration, and patient experience.
Find out more
Find out more about the Culture of Togetherness leadership programme here.
