New action plan aims to tackle racial inequalities within the NHS

While the NHS workforce is more diverse than at any other point in its history, staff from Black and minority ethnic backgrounds are still underrepresented in senior positions, according to a new report.

The NHS Workforce Race Equality Standard shows that more than two fifths (42%) of doctors, dentists, and consultants, and almost a third (29.2%) of our nurses, midwives, and health visitors are from BME backgrounds.

However, while the number of BME staff in very senior roles is steadily increasing, they still only make up 10.3% of very senior managers and 13.2% of board members.

Significant barriers to promotion

Amanda Pritchard, chief executive of NHS England, says that while the findings indicate the NHS is moving in the “right direction”, there is still “significant room for improvement”.

Professor Anton Emmanuel, head of Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES), highlights that people from BME backgrounds are more likely to face barriers to top leadership positions, and more needs to be done to tackle the racial inequalities in the medical workforce.

He said: “Unfortunately, some colleagues are subject to inequitable processes; less likely to be promoted, more likely to face formal disciplinary and more likely to be bullied or harassed. We must use the data in this report to drive evidence-based actions to reverse these trends, by replicating pockets of improvement by some trusts across a number of indicators.”

For this reason, Ms Prichard says the NHS will continue to work with local NHS organisations to tackle race inequality – including setting local targets to ensure their senior leadership is fully representative.

NHS diversity and inclusion training deprioritised

A new Medical Workforce Race Equality Standard (MWRES) action plan has been published alongside the report’s findings which sets out five practical actions to tackling racial disparities in the NHS.

This includes steps to reduce disproportionate representation of international medical graduates in General Medical Council referrals, improve diversity in senior medical leadership appointments, and increase BME representation in the councils of royal medical colleges to better reflect the workforce.

Dr Latifa Patel, BMA workforce lead, Dr Patel says it is vital that these steps are acted on given that diversity and inclusion work is currently being deprioritised in some areas of the NHS.

She highlights findings from various reports, published by the BMA, which showcase why this work is still so needed. These reports found that, in 2022:

• Nearly a quarter (23%) of respondents considered leaving a job due to racial discrimination
• International medical graduates (IMGs) were more likely than UK-born participants to talk about experiencing overt discrimination
• Doctors from ethnic minority backgrounds continue to face disproportionate employer referrals and fitness to practise concerns, with no significant accountability of the organisations that make these referrals without justification.

The BMA is also calling for the MWRES report to be extended to primary care, where the differentials are less understood.

Dr Patel says the BMA will ensure all organisations listed in the action plan are held to account in how they implement and evaluate the impact of these actions.