BMA accuses health secretary of “culture war tactics”

The British Medical Association (BMA) has accused the health secretary of trying to distract from the workforce crisis by aiming culture war tactics at the NHS after it was reported he asked NHS Trusts to stop hiring diversity officers.

According to news reports, Steve Barclay sent a letter to the chief executives of ten NHS organisations including the Care Quality Commission, NICE and the UK Heath Security Agency.

In it he said that diversity and inclusion was “everyone’s responsibility and should be picked up through normal management processes and as a part of everyone’s role rather than through the use of external providers or discrete dedicated roles within organisations”.

Diversity officers hold organisations to account

The BMA said that racism, sexism, ableism and homophobia remain a real problem within the NHS and across society as well as having lasting impacts on NHS workforce retention and staff morale.

A BMA survey last year from that nearly one third of ethnic minority doctors had considered leaving the NHS or had already left within the past two years due to race discrimination.

Dr Latifa Patel, BMA workforce lead, added: “The cost to the NHS of replacing doctors and nurses who have been driven out by these experiences far outstrips the cost of employing diversity officers, who hold organisations to account in addressing poor workplace practices. Instead of a target for political attacks, the Health Secretary should see diversity officers in the NHS as a key tool in helping to stem the staffing shortfall, which we learn today is projected to top half a million in the next decade.”