Melanie Dawes, Director General, Business Tax, HM Revenue and Customs

Melanie Dawes is nominated for very active, visible leadership commitment as HMRC's Champion for Disability, which has ensured these issues are given the highest profile at board level. She has personally endorsed and driven projects that have delivered real service improvements to HMRC's disabled customers. Her actions have also raised awareness of the challenges faced by disabled people at work and developed practical solutions for overcoming these challenges.

Melanie has played an active part in consultations with external organisations such as the Low Income Tax Reform Group and the Royal National Institute for the Deaf, and chairs meetings of the Disabled Customers’ Consultation Group. She is a Champion who listens, responds to feedback and is held in the highest regard by HMRC's disabled staff.

Melanie is extremely visible, attending network events, hosting dial-in sessions and participating in online forums to communicate directly with disabled staff. She also makes a point of meeting with network members at every opportunity when visiting HMRC offices around the country. She sponsored an Intranet campaign to raise awareness of disability issues that took place during Disability History Month.

Feedback and available statistics showed that around 71 per cent of grievances recorded related to disability issues. This was clearly an area of great concern for disabled staff and for managers and Melanie took prompt action to appoint a project manager to lead a review of HMRC processes and policies. As a result of the review, we are in the process of establishing a new Reasonable Adjustment Support Team dedicated to providing expert advice on appropriate adjustments and co-ordinating provision of software, equipment, appropriate training etc.

As well as tackling issues around management of disabled people within HMRC, Melanie has worked actively with service delivery areas in the department and led the development of HMRC’s Disability Road Map. This sets out six key objectives designed to ensure that service delivery to disabled customers is accessible, that our people receive appropriate training on etiquette for interacting with disabled people and that policy, product and service decisions take account of the accessibility agenda.

Emma Robinson, the Diversity Committee of the British Missions in Turkey and Brian Cook of the Regional Training Centre in Prague

In 2009, a worryingly high proportion of staff at the British missions in Turkey reported that they had suffered from bullying, harassment and/or discrimination. Responding to the FCO’s annual staff survey (part of the civil service-wide staff survey programme), 31 per cent said they had suffered from bullying or harassment and 27 per cent reported experiencing discrimination. These results were amongst the worst scores in the Foreign Office.

The Turkey-wide Diversity Committee has carried out in-depth interviews with more than 70 members of staff across the network to understand the reasons behind high levels of reported mistreatment and to find ways to improve.

The Committee recruited volunteer feedback champions to speak to each group of staff. This meant that the research was representative and ensured a diverse range of views was fed to the Committee and Management Board.

The survey led to a 26-point action plan, endorsed by the board. The Diversity Committee was responsible for taking forward the plan, which included public statements by the Ambassador, his Deputy and the Consul General in Istanbul about the importance they attach to mistreatment of staff, a zero-tolerance publicity campaign, and ‘Diversity Days’ in Istanbul and Ankara, at which all staff had an informal opportunity to discuss difference and tolerance. A network of 20 Zero Tolerance Contact People (ZTCP) was set up to advise and support staff concerned about bullying, harassment and discrimination.

As a result of the work of the Turkey mission’s Diversity Committee training, team building, leadership messaging and initiatives, changes to management practice and establishment of new reporting networks, these scores improved substantially in 2010, with further improvements expected in 2011. Morale, and the sense of being one team, have improved visibly. The Turkey missions are no longer amongst the FCO’s units of most concern.

Forestry Commission Scotland, Central Scotland Conservancy, Branching Out Programme.

Branching Out is a referral programme for mental health patients dedicated to green space and conservation. It was established by Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS) in 2007 with four other partner agencies: Glasgow Clyde Valley Green Network Partnership, Glasgow Centre for Population Health, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and Glasgow City Council.

Evidence is growing that indicates green environments have a therapeutic benefit for a wide range of physical and mental health issues. FCS was looking to explore that connection.

For each patient, the service consists of three hours of activities per week in a woodland setting over a 12-week period. The clients take part in a variety of activities, including health walks and tai chi; conservation activities, like rhododendron clearance and willow coppicing; bushcraft, such as firelighting and shelter-building; and environmental art, such as photography and willow sculptures.

A full evaluation was carried out over the first 12 months, which highlighted the positive impact the programme was having on participants. Due to its success it has now expanded into a further two NHS board areas, with three additional delivery partners.

The programme contributes to reducing health inequalities by ensuring access for all. Branching Out groups include patients in medium secure units, community-based services, women- and men-only groups and older adult groups. Government-level approval has been required for some patients to be taken outside hospital grounds.

A key aspect of the programme is the inclusion of professional health staff as active members of the group. The dynamics of the programme, and its delivery in an outdoor/non-clinical setting was reported to aid and redress the patient/health professional imbalance. The small group sizes, up to 12, facilitated team building and social inclusion. Clinicians and patients both reported improvements in social networking and social skills development.