There has been a notable rise in representation of BME people at board level across the NHS, according to the latest annual Workforce Race Equality Standard.
As well as improvements in representation at the most senior levels of each organisation, the findings include a reduction in the number of BME staff going through the formal disciplinary process and a steady improvement in appointments.
‘The NHS is the largest employer of black and minority ethnic people in the country, and this latest assessment of race equality in the health service shows both how far we’ve come and how far we still have to go,’ said Simon Stevens, chief executive of NHS England.
‘Patients get better care when their doctors, nurses and other staff feel valued and are treated fairly. So this open, honest and sometimes challenging work, first commissioned four years ago, holds a mirror up to the NHS and the further action we now have to take.’
In the capital, all 36 London trusts now have at least one BME board member compared to only 16 in 2014, while 14.7% of very senior managers in London are now from a BME background. Over the past two years, the health service has also seen a boost in its medical workforce from BME backgrounds, with a 10.2% increase in BME doctors working in the NHS, an increase in nearly 4500. In addition, the number of very senior managers from BME backgrounds has increased by 30%.
‘The NHS saves individual lives but can be a force for good across society as a whole too, so it is very encouraging to see the improvements in race equality – especially the increase in BME representation at board level – but I also recognise we have much more to do to make the NHS a fairer and more inclusive employer for everyone who works in it, as we deliver our Long Term Plan,’ said Prerana Issar, chief people officer for the NHS.
‘Through the forthcoming NHS People Plan we are 100 per cent committed to making the NHS the best place to work, which includes building the right culture, making sure people in all roles across the NHS represent the patients and communities we serve, but also ensuring that people are treated fairly regardless of their race, age, gender or disability.’