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Supporting South Asian Heritage Month 2025

South Asian Heritage Month takes place from 18 July - 17 August and celebrates South Asian history, culture and communities in the UK.

18 July 2025

First established in 2020, the month-long campaign celebrates the diverse heritage and cultures that link the UK to eight countries that form the region of South Asia; they include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

This year’s theme is ‘Roots to Routes’, exploring the rich journey of growth, and the evolving connections we make through generations. It's an opportunity to showcase stories of migration, adaptation, resilience, and triumph that define our vibrant South Asian communities.

Read NHS Employer's South Asian Heritage Month blog Roots to Routes: A South Asian Woman's Journey in the NHS, where author, physiotherapist and digital health consultant, Heena Mahmood shares her reflections on the path she has travelled in her professional and personal life.

The next four weeks provide an opportunity to share stories, reflect and showcase the rich heritage that has contributed to the diversity of our NHS.

The challenges facing our diverse workforce

South Asians have had a huge impact on society in the UK, and in particular in the NHS and healthcare sector. The NHS has a higher proportion of staff from South Asia than the wider economy: these staff made up 5.3 per cent (75,473) of the NHS workforce in 2023.

Many South Asian and ethnically diverse colleagues are likely to have faced barriers and challenges that do not exist for everyone. Various world events have led to increased racism towards Muslim and South Asian communities, alongside a continued increase in prejudiced hate crime and stereotyping.

Research conducted by Totaljobs and the Diversity Trust in 2022 highlights inequalities in recruitment processes and employment opportunities. It identified that South Asian women specifically face significant barriers in the recruitment process.

- Bravery in the Boardroom and APNA NHS webinar
  Wednesday 23 July, 3-4.30 pm on Zoom
  Join the Asian Professionals National Alliance (APNA) and Bravery in the Boardroom for this South Asian Heritage Month session, hosted by Monique Carayol, former NHS executive and co-founder of Bravery in the Boardroom. The webinar will provide an opportunity to hear about the lived experiences and gain insights from current, successful NHS senior leaders on how to progress and lead in the boardroom when you are in the minority, holding accountability, and addressing inequalities. The panel includes APNA co-chair, Asma Nafees.
  This event is free to attend and everyone is welcome, please register. Learn more about APNA and Bravery in the Boardroom.
- Organ donation inequalities are costing lives
  30 July 2025, 12:30–1:30pm, Online
  Join this powerful lunchtime session on organ donation awareness from the South Asian Heritage Trust and APNA NHS. With Professor Habib Naqvi, Dr Binita Kane + lived experience voices. For all NHS staff – not just transplant teams.
- Asian Professionals National Alliance (APNA) conference
  16 - 17 October 2025, Liverpool
  APNA's annual conference and awards evening dinner 'Be the change: going beyond the conversation' is a celebration of South Asian achievement. To secure your place, complete their booking form.
Add your event to this page
We encourage organisations to share their events so we can add them to this page. Please email details to bln@nhsconfed.org.
- NHS Confederation's anti-racism report Excellence through equality: anti-racism as a quality improvement tool includes examples of good practice case studies from BME Leadership Network members, to help advance equality within the workforce and for service users.
- NHS Confederation's Shattered Hopes report into black and minority ethnic leaders’ experiences of breaking the glass ceiling in the NHS shares reflections on the lived experience of senior black and minority ethnic leaders in the NHS.
- The Combatting racial discrimination against nurses, midwives and nursing associates resource, published by NHS England, NHS Confederation and the Nursing and Midwifery Council, provides advice on the action you can take if you witness or experience racism. It also supports those in leadership roles to be inclusive leaders.
- The North West BAME Assembly Anti-racist Framework provides a framework for all NHS organisations across the North West to work towards the ambition of becoming actively anti-racist organisations.
- The NHS Race and Health Observatory Seven Anti-Racism Principles and Briefings consists of an Anti-Racism infographic, an associated explainer video, and a set of briefings to help address the challenges associated with ethnic and racial inequalities.
- The NHS Confederation's BME Leadership Network exists to strengthen the voice of NHS BME leaders and to support NHS organisations to meet the needs of all communities. Membership is open to both BME leaders and non-BME supporters. Visit BME Leadership Network to become a member.
- The NHS Confederation's Health and Care Women Leaders Network is a free network for women in the NHS and broader health and social care sector. The network is a diverse community of talented professional women who connect through events, networking and shared learning.
- The NHS Confederation's Health and Care LGBTQ+ Leaders Network is open to LGBTQ+ leaders, aspiring leaders and allies to help influence change across the system.
- The Asian Professionals National Alliance (APNA) is a network for NHS senior South Asian leaders to connect, share ideas and support each other. The network encourages partnership working and is passionate about influencing policy to bring about positive change for NHS staff health and wellbeing, and also their communities. Contact them via their LinkedIn page.
- NHS Muslim Women’s Network is a space for Muslim women in the NHS and health and care sector to share knowledge and support each other #NHSMuslimWomen. For more information contact Sabina Hafesji directly via email at muslim.women@nhs.net .

Visit the South Asian Heritage Month website to learn more about the campaign, access their calendar of activities and download the campaign logos.

To join the conversation on X use #SouthAsianHeritageMonth #RootsToRoutes or follow the BME Leadership Network on LinkedIn.

Supporting South Asian Heritage Month 2025

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