Closing gender gaps in NHS integral, says Hancock

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has stressed that the NHS must end the gender pay gap and overhaul its working culture to free doctors from punishing shift uncertainty.

Writing for the Guardian, Hancock boosted his Tory leadership credentials by calling for ‘a more caring and compassionate culture; towards staff in the NHS, highlighting ‘the uncomfortable truth that women are paid less, promoted less and systematically under-represented among the top jobs’.

In a speech to the Royal College of Physicians’ annual conference, Hancock is expected to outline his thoughts on the need for a modern working culture within the NHS where doctors are not expected to cancel important family events because of short-notice shift changes - writing for the Guardian about ‘doctors who couldn’t get time off to attend a wedding or a funeral’, as well as those who were told they had to work even when they were sick or had gone through a personal trauma.

As part of his call, Hancock said a lack of flexible working was hampering the careers of women and men in the health service, and that more must be done to create an inclusive and female-friendly work environment to get more women into top jobs.