NHS to work towards eliminating gender pay gap

The Department of Health and Social Care has announced a new goal to eliminate the ethnicity pay gap in the NHS so that BAME representation in senior leadership matches that across the rest of the NHS by 2028.

NHS ethnicity pay analysis has recently revealed that senior white NHS managers are paid thousands more than managers from ethnic minority backgrounds, with fewer black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) staff reaching the most senior levels.

In light of the figures, which also show that BAME staff make up 17 per cent of the non-medical NHS workforce, Health Minister Stephen Barclay set a goal for the NHS to ensure BAME representation at very senior management levels will match that across the rest of the NHS workforce within 10 years.

NHS England, Public Health England and Health Education England are among the Department of Health and Social Care’s arm’s length bodies to sign up to the new Race at Work Charter. The charter encourages organisations to appoint an executive sponsor for race, capture data and publicise progress, commit at board level to zero tolerance of harassment and bullying, make clear that supporting equality in the workplace is the responsibility of all leaders and managers and take action that supports ethnic minority career progression.

Barclay said: “The NHS is a leading light of talent for people from all communities and backgrounds, with diversity levels far in excess of the national average. However, it is unacceptable that this is still not reflected at the very top of the organisation – this kind of inequality has no place in a modern employer and I’m determined to tackle it. That’s why I have set an ambitious goal for the NHS to ensure its leadership is as diverse as the rest of the workforce within the next ten years, supporting a culture that allows diversity to thrive at all levels.”

Yvonne Coghill, director of the Workforce Race Equality Standard for NHS England, said: “Having an NHS workforce that is representative of the population improves patients’ care, safety and overall satisfaction with the health service. The annual Workforce Race Equality Standard is an honest and open analysis which shines a light on where we need to perform better for our staff. Although I’m confident that the NHS in England is moving in the right direction – as shown by the recent increase in senior managers from BAME backgrounds and more NHS trusts having board-level BAME representation – it’s equally clear that we have some way still to go.”