Welcome to Inclusion Bites, your sanctuary for bold conversations that spark change. I'm Joanne Lockwood, your guide on this journey of exploration into the heart of inclusion, belonging, and societal transformation. Ever wondered what it truly takes to create a world where everyone not only belongs but thrives? You're not alone. Join me as we uncover the unseen, challenge the status quo, and share stories that resonate deep within. Ready to dive in. Whether you're sipping your morning coffee or winding down after a long day, let's connect, reflect, and inspire action together. Don't forget, you can be part of the conversation too. Reach out to jo.Lockwood@seechangehappen.co.uk to share your insights or to join me on the show.

So adjust your earbuds and settle in. It's time to ignite the spark of inclusion with Inclusion Bites. And today is episode 124 with the title, Inclusive Healthcare for All. I have the absolute honor and privilege to welcome Ellen Edinburgh. Ellen and their wife offer bespoke IND training for health and social care sector people. When I asked Ellen to describe their superpower, they said that they are part of 0.5% of the population, and not many people will ever know how that feels. They like to think that it gives them a unique time on this planet. Hello, Ellen.

Welcome to the show.

Hello. Thank you for having me on a very early Monday morning.

And you just got back from Spain, Malaga, I think you said.

Mallorca. So, but it's blue skies in Leeds. Not the same scenery, gotta gotta admit, but, still nice nonetheless.

Well, it's lovely to have you here. So, Ellen, Inclusive Healthcare for all, tell me about what you do with your wife.

So, in Inclusive Health, we launched it January 31st precisely this year. So we are very new. We're very fresh. And I guess what we do in a nutshell, I guess our our tagline is foster inclusivity, elevating healthcare. So I've done in in inclusion diversity world now for about 9 years, which really is quite the early start of the I and d conversation in the UK. It still hasn't been around for for long, and I kind of, maybe we'll talk about it, but I've kind of bizarrely found myself in this world as many of us do, who have been there from kind of the early years. But I've been in I and d in in many different sectors. All sectors worked as a consultant and supported many different organisations from charity charities to massive large global organisations.

And when you marry a doctor, which is a good decision and a bad decision, unfortunately, mostly bad, but it comes with some perks. I very rarely need to go to my GP because I can get some great advice at home, but you, you hear a lot of things. And you meet a lot of other doctors and you hear a lot of more of the things. And the old organisation I used to work with used to work with NHS providers and trusts, but we never could necessarily give those healthcare professionals, specialist, I and D training in terms of getting some learning and practicing that in a healthcare setting with real understanding. And I thought, wait a second. I've got someone in my house that can help with that. And we just thought, why not give it a go? I think my dad was trying to get me to be self employed since I was about 18. And I thought, finally, I'll I'll I'll give it a stab.

And it's one of those things where you think, I'll give it a go. If it doesn't work, it doesn't work, but at least I've tried it. And look, my wife's a doctor. My wife's a patient. I'm a patient, we're all patients. Right? It is the one thing we have in life, and I think COVID 19 was a great awakening call for many that have necessarily not had healthcare considerations or problems in the past where I thought it's all we have. All we have in this life is our time and our health. And there's so many people that feel like they can't access healthcare.

And of course there's, there's many barriers people access in healthcare, but when it comes to inclusion, people's just identity is a massive barrier, with trust, with worry, with fear. And if we can help one patient feel included with a healthcare professional, they have a great conversation. And that means in the future, when they feel a lump or a bump or a worry, then they go back for a healthcare chat or a consideration. It could save their life, and our job is done, even if it's one patient.