Equality, diversity and inclusion at FPM

The EDI Forum was formed in April 2021 and its members are now working to identify priority work streams and the ways in which we can make a real difference for FPM’s membership.

Multiple reports and surveys have identified society-wide lack of equality, inclusion and diversity particularly in leadership roles. Reasons for this are complex and entrenched, but not insurmountable. Maintaining the status quo is not an option. FPM recognises it has opportunities to harness the talent and passion of our members to make FPM more relevant to members and the wider society which we serve.

Several working groups have been established already: Women in Pharmaceutical Medicine (WIP), a collaboration with the Medical Womens’ Federation (MWF), membership of the EDI stream of Memcom and the CEO Forum of the AoMRC. We wish to ensure an over-arching common goal and shared objectives whilst focussing on specific areas with the expertise of contributing members to each working group.

Given the challenges faced by society and the COVID pandemic which has highlighted multiple societal inequalities, we have seen how we can effectively unite across society, public services, industry and academia and achieve positive results when a shared goal is identified.

Our main areas of focus are: driving change with inclusiveness (bringing together a diverse group of members across all levels of the organisation), finding ways to support all members to contribute fully (but particularly those who have previously been under-represented at FPM) and maximise the satisfaction they gain from being FPM members. We also want to encourage and promote EDI within the industry and to share learnings across Pharma.

We want to ensure that all FPM members are treated fairly, irrespective of their colour, race, ethnicity, cultural background, age, gender, sexuality, internal or external diversity. We wish to help create a faculty where all members have a sense of belonging. We want everyone to feel respected, valued, and safe to be their authentic self. In turn, we want to support our members to do their best for patients, consumers and the practice of Pharmaceutical Medicine. The EDI Forum aims to provide a safe space to have conversations about EDI, and to encourage others not to shy away from engaging with difficult topics in order to reach a positive outcome.

The benefits to FPM and members should be significant; creating a diverse, engaged membership and leadership reflecting the array of businesses, academic institutions and communities that we serve, tangible increases in motivation, creativity and performance. This will add value, not only to FPM, but also provide individuals and their organisations with some of the tools needed to embed Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity.