Introduction

Social justice ensures fairness, equity and inclusivity within groups, organisations and systems, and is critical to leadership and leadership development. In medicine, social justice is described as the equal access of every individual to quality healthcare services and the universal right to health.1 The 1978 WHO Alma-Ata declaration highlighted the gross inequalities in health status within populations, and these were considered unacceptable politically, socially and economically, arguing that health is (and should be) a fundamental human right to all.2

Healthcare leadership has been identified as one of the vehicles to tackle the inequalities within healthcare systems.3 4 However, to achieve equity in healthcare systems, existent societal disparities must be addressed, and strategic measures that will mitigate the adverse effects of healthcare inequity must be implemented. Therefore, by incorporating principles of social justice into leadership practices, healthcare organisations and leaders can establish environments that foster collaboration, respect and equal opportunities for all individuals. Organisations prioritising social justice in their leadership development programmes tend to experience higher levels of employee engagement, lower turnover rates and overall better performance.5 Consequently, embracing social justice as a fundamental aspect of the development journey of healthcare leaders would enhance employee/citizen morale and satisfaction. It would also promote innovation and productivity, and contribute to creating more just and equitable healthcare practices and environments.

In this topic collection on Equity, Diversity, Inclusivity (EDI) and Social Justice in Times of Crisis, we set out to focus on and examine the various facets of equity and social justice in healthcare. Using a social justice lens, we encouraged a broad and diverse range of contributions that included perspectives and narratives offering critical and evidence-informed insights into the interactions between leadership, social justice and healthcare inequity. We invited short papers (commentaries) that offered practical, innovative insights, pearls, or leadership innovations in EDI to promote social justice in healthcare systems. Original research papers that explored the interactions between leadership, EDI and social justice in healthcare systems were welcomed, as well as review papers that systematically analysed existing information and evidence on specific leadership, EDI and social justice topics. We also introduced a ‘leadership in art’ section where creative artistry was used to express reflections on the theme of this topic collection.

Creating the topic collection on leadership, equity and social justice has been an opportunity for learning, unlearning and relearning. The submissions covered a wide range of topics from authors of various backgrounds, identities, stages of careers and geographical locations. The use of art as a medium for expression was also a new adventure. The various submissions inspired us as editors to reflect on our work within publishing. Especially on how we can make the process more equitable, from taking an idea to its conclusion, from writing to submitting, and through the review, editorial and publishing process. The topic collection has allowed us to reflect on what voices are currently being shared with us, those voices that may be missing and those that may be disadvantaged by our systems. Furthermore, while we reflect within the context of BMJ Leader, the lessons identified could be applied more broadly in our personal and professional lives, individually and collectively.

As clinician educators and editors of this topic collection, we naturally gravitated to focusing on educational solutions and innovations. Applying an antioppression lens, we sought to understand how we support authors, reviewers and editors in these domains. Furthermore, as we develop strategies to expand and improve, we will consider multimodalities and accessibility to ensure we reach those who need the most support. Ultimately we desire to provide the missing opportunities outlined in this African proverb: ‘Until the lion learns how to write, every story will glorify the hunter’. We hope this topic collection on EDI, Social Justice, and Leadership will make readers pause, reflect, rethink and move towards action. It may be learning and learning and relearning as an individual, as part of a team or organisation, or within systems.

So, as we explore equity in healthcare and highlight the importance of a fair distribution of resources and opportunities in this topic collection, we hope the journal’s readers will understand this complex topic better. Furthermore, we hope that the content of the topic collection will encourage readers to contribute (more) to the ongoing discourse on promoting equitable and socially just healthcare systems in our communities. We look forward to feedback from all, lions and hunters alike.