When EDI is voiced by the many: a conversation with Sarah Stansfield

Hi Sarah, can you tell us a bit about your role in NHS finance to start with?

Of course, I’m the Chief Finance Officer at the University Hospitals of Northamptonshire NHS Group, which is a close collaboration between Northampton General Hospital and Kettering General Hospital. The two hospitals now operate under a group model, and I’m responsible for all of our finance, contracting and procurement functions within the organisations.

I joined in December last year on secondment and was appointed permanently to the role about six weeks ago. Before this I was CFO at Northamptonshire ICB, and before that I was CFO at Gloucestershire Hospitals.

I’ve been working in the Northamptonshire system for about five and a half years now, and although my most recent post was on the System side, I’ve spent most of my career in acute hospitals so it’s nice to be back in this setting. I am hugely excited to have the opportunity to work in my local hospitals as Northampton General and Kettering General are both within 30 minutes from where I live.

You are also Chair of the Midlands Inclusion and Diversity Ambassador network. Can you tell us a bit about your personal journey and what sparked your passion for EDI?

I took on the role of Chair a couple of years ago now. From a personal perspective, being a woman in NHS finance has definitely shaped how I think about inclusion, and I also have a disability with significant hearing loss on my right side and moderate loss on the left. It sometimes feels difficult to say I have a disability, but I do live with a hearing deficit that I have to accommodate every day.

It’s these personal experiences which initially drew me into this work, and my belief that underrepresented groups in our workforce should have career journeys and work-place experiences based on their choices, not based on any barriers we’ve unknowingly put in their way.

For me, inclusion is about making our teams and organisations as welcoming, supportive and strong as possible. When this isn’t in place we risk missing out on people with valuable contributions to make, and we risk missing out on the kind of diverse and dynamic teams who ultimately improve patient care.

Why do you believe EDI is important, and how have you seen it in action?

I think the best way to explain it is through a couple of real-life examples.

When I took on my first CFO role at Gloucestershire Hospitals, I used to attend the national CFO meetings in London. After one of those meetings, I was reflecting with my Chief Executive on how strange it was to be somewhere with no queue for the women’s toilets. Usually at NHS finance meetings and events there’s women everywhere, and always a big queue! But at this meeting of CFOs with hundreds of us in attendance there appeared to be so few women, and I found that quite shocking.

Another moment that’s stayed with me happened in a board meeting when we were listening to a patient story on ENT services. It transpired that the way staff in the outpatient clinic were calling these hard-of-hearing patients into their appointments was simply by shouting out their name. Unsurprisingly, they often couldn’t hear so they missed their appointments, causing frustration for the patients and costing the NHS time and money.

Hearing from this particular patient with partial deafness resonated with me personally because of my own experiences. But more than that, it was such a simple, striking example of how a lack of EDI awareness can affect the quality and cost of services.

For me, these stories are a reminder that we all face different challenges, whether related to our gender, race, our sexual orientation, a disability, or anything else. As leaders we have a responsibility to create inclusive environments, and I would be appalled and disappointed in myself if one of these challenges was the reason someone didn’t get an opportunity in my organisation.

At the end of the day the most diverse and inclusive workforce will give us the best services, and the best care for patients.

As Chair of the Midlands Inclusion and Diversity Ambassador Network, what are your key priorities for the year ahead?

The Midlands Inclusion and Diversity Ambassador Network is one of the newer regional networks, and it’s taken a bit of time to get things off the ground.

We’ve got some clear priorities set out in our official work programme for 2025-26, including running EDI workshops and roundtables, looking at ways to influence the gender gap in senior roles, supporting staff returning from parental leave, and gaining a better understanding of the EDI challenges specific to the Midlands so that we can set some achievable goals for change.

On a more personal level, now that I’m in a new CFO role and we’re into a new year, my priority is really about reinvigorating the network.

I want our ambassadors to feel that there’s real value in being part of this. It’s about creating a safe, welcoming space for anyone who wants to get involved, and supporting them to feel empowered and feel that they can affect change where it’s needed.

So, in addition to the formal training and development priorities, my personal focus this year is to bring the network to life. It should be something that people want to be part of because they can see the difference it’s making.

How can NHS finance leaders best support Inclusion and Diversity Ambassadors in their role?

First and foremost, we need to live the values of the NHS. Championing EDI should be seen as integral to all of our roles – just as important as processing invoices, reconciling budgets or issuing financial reports in the day job.

We must also give our Inclusion and Diversity Ambassadors the time, space and authority needed to drive meaningful change within NHS finance teams.

All of this requires clear buy-in from our leadership teams. My ask of NHS finance leaders is to demonstrate the importance of EDI through their behaviours and actions, not just their words. Make sure you lead by example.

If you’re a CFO reading this and you don’t know who your Inclusion and Diversity Ambassadors are, please go and find out. Talk to them, ask what they need, and help them succeed.

Can you share a recent success story or moment that you’ve seen making a difference in improving EDI?

Something we’ve often discussed in the network is recruitment – how to make it more accessible, and how to make interviews feel less intimidating and more inclusive.

I had a recent experience which felt like a tangible moment of progress in this area – I was shortlisted for my current CFO role and the recruiting team sent me the interview questions in advance.

I don’t think that would have happened even 12 months ago, and while it might seem like a small change, it really demonstrated to me that the narrative is starting to shift. People are beginning to understand that creating a fairer recruitment process doesn’t mean lowering standards, it means giving more people the opportunity to show up as their best.

These practices aren’t yet widespread, especially in senior roles like CFO posts, and there’s still work to do. But it does feel like we’re getting somewhere, and it’s encouraging to see change happening in real-time.

For anyone reading this who’s considering getting involved in the network – what would you say to encourage them to take that step?

I’d say, you should get involved because being part of the conversation is the first step towards making real change.

If you’re working in NHS finance in the Midlands and want to contribute – whether you’ve got concerns to raise, good practice to share, or just want to be part of shaping the EDI agenda – then we want to hear from you. The more voices we have offering different perspectives and ideas, the more chance we have of moving forward in a cohesive and collective way.

And we’re a friendly bunch! Our meetings always feel like a safe space.

There are plenty of times in my own job that feel hard and full of tough decisions, but I always come away from Inclusion and Diversity Ambassador meetings feeling hopeful and energised. I really value that, and I hope everyone in the network feels the same.

So my encouragement to you all is to join the network and help us move this crucial agenda forward. We’ll only make progress when the importance of EDI is being voiced by the many, not the few.

Sarah Stansfield, Chief Finance Officer, University Hospitals of Northamptonshire NHS Group