It’s been three years since Rethink Mental Illness started its Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) strategic journey. Peter Alleyne, from our EDI and Involvement team reflects on the importance of diversity on mental health outcomes and missteps organisations typically make.

Equality, diversity and inclusion are not corporate buzz words. They are essential principles organisations should live by to create a workforce – and, ultimately, a society – that thrives. 

For a mental health charity like Rethink, EDI is critical because we know that mental health outcomes are shaped by inequality, discrimination, and exclusion. 

Experiences of poverty, racism, ableism, and other forms of discrimination have a direct impact on mental health. Constant exposure to unfair treatment, poor housing, or unemployment can lead to stress, isolation, and poorer wellbeing. 

These same inequalities also make it harder for some communities to access effective support. If we are serious about improving mental health outcomes, tackling inequality in the workplace and beyond it crucial. 

Improving outcomes for marginalised communities in mental health requires a fundamental shift in how services are designed, delivered, and evaluated. 

Too often, a "one-size-fits-all" approach ignores the lived experiences of racialised and marginalised groups in our society. 

To drive meaningful change, the sector must embrace co-production, invest in culturally competent care, and dismantle structural barriers to equity. This means listening to communities, valuing their expertise, and embedding inclusion from policy to frontline practice.

At Rethink, this work can't be optional - it's essential. As a national mental health charity, we have a responsibility to reflect the diversity of the people we serve across our campaigns, partnerships, and services.

That’s why we launched and are implementing our Advancing Mental Health Equalities Plan to ensure we are reaching diverse and marginalised communities with transparency and accountability and are continually asking ourselves:

• Are we creating safe spaces for marginalised voices in our workplace and services?
• Are our services reaching those who need them most?
• Are we recruiting and investing in diverse senior leadership to enhance inclusive decision-making?

Progress demands honesty, reflection, and action - and it starts with us.

What is Rethink’s EDI strategic approach?

Our approach is rooted in equity – not just as a value, but as a vital part of our mission to support diverse staff and people using our services, and advance mental health equalities. 

We have developed a clear, actionable EDI Strategic Plan that is focused on embedding EDI into every aspect of our workplace, systems, and decision-making. 

Lived experience is central to this work, with staff and people living with mental illness actively contributing to, and co-producing strategies, that shape our organisational development. 

We have a Staff Networks Action Plan that underpins our EDI Strategic Plan to deliver the activities that will ensure the voices of our diverse people remain at the heart of shaping our workplace culture and equitable mental health services.

Where do many organisations go wrong in this area? 

It is a familiar tale: many organisations treat EDI as a tick-box exercise – a set of policies rather than the systemic and organisation transformative change envisioned in the Equality Act 2010. 

They often focus on diversity without addressing inclusive behaviours and practices, or the underlying power imbalances that perpetuate inequality. 

By shifting from performative to meaningful actions, organisations can embed EDI by: 

• Investing in long-term, not just short-term initiatives. Sustainable change requires ongoing commitment and resources.
• Holding themselves accountable and be transparent, using both numerical data and lived experience to measure progress.
• Creating authentic spaces for marginalised and underrepresented groups and genuinely listen to their voices.
• Recognising that discomfort is part of organisational and personal growth and be willing to engage with challenging conversations and different perspectives. Diversity of thought is vital.

A vision for the future

If my department were given £1,000,000 tomorrow, we would start by expanding and investing further in our fantastic staff networks and other employee support groups. 

These groups influence and support our work around race, sexual orientation, gender, disabilities, neurodiversity, menopause, and mental health and wellbeing in the workplace. 

We would launch a leadership development programme tailored for underrepresented staff, focusing on progression, mentoring, and sponsorship. 

This would help ensure that fair and diverse internal progression and promotion become core elements of Rethink’s talent management and recruitment strategy. 

Additionally, we would invest in community partnerships – particularly with grassroots organisations led by and for marginalised groups to fully implement the Black Mental Health Manifesto and Rethink’s Advancing Mental Health Equalities Plan by developing innovative EDI and lived experience tools and training tailored to deliver equitable mental health services. 

Ultimately, this funding would accelerate our journey toward becoming an anti-racist, inclusive, and diverse organisation, positioning us as a leader in the third sector and a driving force for systemic change.