A TEAM led by the University of Bradford has been awarded almost €300,000 in funding to help improve how health care professionals treat people from diverse backgrounds.

The team, made up of researchers from across Europe and led by Dr Gabrielle Tracy McClelland and Professor Uduak Archibong from the University of Bradford, is being given the money by Erasmus+ to develop a three year project called Sim-Versity’ (Simulation-Diversity), that can be used across the world.

It will help develop “cultural competence” by developing, piloting and implementing new web-based resources. The main aim is to address concerns around social justice and inclusion; tackling inequality and diversity around gender, ethnicity, disability and age, through health professional education.

Project Manager Dr McClelland said: “Cultural competence in a health context is how we as health professionals ideally think, feel and behave towards people who may be different to ourselves. Health care examples may be a nurse looking after a partially sighted child or a radiographer caring for an older Black woman who defines herself as a lesbian.”