Disability and race equality standard reports published

Published on 25 June, these two equality standards provide an overview on disability and race equality for the NHS workforce. 

Joan Saddler OBE, director of partnerships and equality at NHS Confederation said: 

"There continues to be some small improvements, with the number of staff declaring that they have a disability continuing to rise, both on boards and amongst the general workforce. Similarly, the number of senior managers in the NHS from a black and minority ethnic continues to rise, However, the growth in BME board membership has not kept up with the rise in BME staff across the NHS workforce. 

The fact that BME staff are less likely to feel their employer provides equal opportunities for career progression or promotion than white colleagues and disabled people are more likely to be performance managed or experience harassment, bullying or abuse from managers and colleagues shows that more needs to be done to improve the experience of these staff groups.

It is crucial that we continue to pay attention to the lived experience of staff who are not getting the experience they deserve.

We are also deeply worried that any gains made in recent years could be lost during the current restructuring which will see jobs cut across many parts of the health service. We know that BME and disabled staff are usually disproportionately affected by these kinds of upheavals.

It is vital that the NHS has a diverse workforce that mirrors the diversity of the communities it services. While we look forward to the publication of the ten-year plan and its proposals to tackle inequalities, we must remember that disability and race inclusion is not secondary to building the high-functioning health service of the future. It is essential to its success."