How equal is access to senior management and leadership roles in the NHS?

In 2015, the NHS was named the fifth largest employer in the world, comprising clinical and non-clinical staff from varying backgrounds, all of whom impact lives on a daily basis through their work. In 2020, over 20% of this workforce identified as Black, Asian or minority ethnic, yet less than 13% of senior positions in the NHS, including band 8A and higher, are held by individuals in this group. Although the Workforce Race Equality Standard was introduced in 2015 to help address this issue, there is still work to be done. Therefore, this article highlights racial and ethnic discrepancies in positions of leadership and management in the NHS, and explores the programmes available and the steps that Black, Asian and minority ethnic employees can take to help them progress to senior management roles.

Workforce Race Equality Standard survey in general practice: Lewisham 2019

BackgroundThe NHS Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES) was introduced in 2015 and is mandatory for NHS trusts. Nine indicators have been created to evaluate the experiences of black and minority ethnic (BME) staff compared with the rest of the workforce. The trust data published showed a poor experience of BME staff compared with non BME staff.AimTo introduce the concept of WRES into general practice and create a baseline from which improvement can be made. A diverse workforce will better serve its population and this will improve health outcomes.MethodWe conducted a survey among all general practice staff members, clinicians, and non-clinicians and asked open-ended questions built around four WRES indicators most applicable to general practice, over a 6-week period in August and September 2019.ResultsWe collected 151 responses out of a total workforce of around 550. The response rate between clinicians and non-clinicians was equal 50.6% versus 49.4%. The distribution of non BME staff 51% versus BME staff 49% mirrors the diverse population of Lewisham. 54% of BME staff experienced bullying from patients, their relatives, and members of the public. 25% experienced bullying from a colleague or staff member in the workplace and 22% of BME staff changed jobs as a result of this.ConclusionBME staff in general practice report high levels of racism, especially from service users. In 22% this led to a career change. A zero-tolerance policy needs to be enforced and a multi-pronged approach is required to address this.

Art.8 Awareness-Raising

This chapter examines Article 8 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Unlike most other provisions in the CRPD, there is no mainstreamed equality approach in Article 8. While most CRPD provisions set forth a general duty upon states parties to ensure that persons with disabilities enjoy their human rights on equality of basis with others, Article 8 seems to include a series of obligations which are not necessarily associated with the equality standard. Thus, at first glance, the article might appear as a rather ‘decorative’ provision among many other relevant rights recognition statements. However, a closer look at the rationale and legal implication lets us understand the importance of this provision in building the groundwork for the paradigm shift. Without social awareness among the list of purposes underlying the CRPD, most of its provisions might end up wholly moot.

Soaring Income Gaps: China in Comparative Perspective

Despite repeated pledges by China's leaders to reduce the gap between rich and poor, income inequality has continued to rise. China's Gini coefficient, a standard measure of income inequality, was higher in 2007 than in the United States, Russia, or most other societies. Why have China's income gaps increased so fast and so far, despite programs designed to promote greater equality? Standard explanations, such as income gaps inevitably rising with rapid economic development or in a post-socialist transition, cannot explain the Chinese case. Paradoxically, the sharp rise in inequality is driven more by the legacy of China's socialist system than by market forces or the global economy. It will not be possible to bring China's soaring income gaps under control unless the new leaders who took power in 2012–2013 are able to make much more fundamental reforms than have been attempted to date.