Despite many initiatives, inequality persists in NHS

The NHS does not have the fundamentals in place to tackle discrimination, warns a report by the Nuffield Trust health think tank.

The study, Attracting, supporting and retaining a diverse NHS workforce, was commissioned by NHS Employers, the body that negotiates contracts with healthcare staff on behalf of the government.

It found that despite considerable effort and countless initiatives, inequality between NHS staff groups is persisting or even getting worse. What’s more, the health service does not have the tools to address this.

Reported discrimination has risen across race, gender, disability status, and religion. 

Data analysed for the report shows that Black staff are more than twice as likely to experience discrimination at work from a colleague as White staff; Muslim staff are more than twice as likely to experience discrimination as staff of no religion; and those who prefer to self-describe their gender are twice as likely to experience discrimination as male or female staff.

After nine years’ service, male nurses were over twice as likely to have progressed up two pay bands (41%) as female nurses (20%). And the proportion of staff reporting discrimination from their manager or colleagues has risen between 2016 and 2020 for people from Asian, Black and Mixed backgrounds, and for Hindus, Jews and Muslims.

The report recommends each NHS trust ensures its diversity leads have access to continuing training, and enough resources and senior posts are allocated to address the problem.

https://www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk/files/2021-11/1636121852_nhs-workforce-diversity-web.pdf