Responding to the NHS Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES) and Workforce Disability Equality Standard (WDES) reports published today, Professor Pat Cullen, RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive, said:
“Discrimination in the NHS is systemic - and it’s clear the health service still has a long way to go in overcoming the prejudices that both patients and staff face. It’s promising to see some progress – including an increase in the number of Black, Asian and minority ethnic staff at senior manager level – but it is not nearly fast enough, and the NHS can ill afford to waste more time moving at this glacial pace.
“With White staff still far more likely than Black, Asian and minority ethnic applicants to be appointed from shortlisting – and just two in five staff from a Black background believing their trust provides equal opportunities for career progression or promotion – it is clear that much more needs to be done.
“Black, Asian and minority ethnic staff are also still more likely to face harassment, bullying and abuse – as are disabled staff. A third of disabled staff reported having experienced bullying or abuse from patients, service users or the public. This is notably higher than for non-disabled staff and that difference has remained steady over the last five years. It’s simply not good enough.
“The NHS must urgently hasten the pace of change. The RCN is determined to end race discrimination against our members and we are urging the NHS to commit to implementing properly supported anti-racist strategies. It must now seek to disrupt these seemingly entrenched patterns of inequality and embed robust and racially-just processes and cultures that enable every member of staff to thrive.”
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