According to a report titled ‘Medical Workforce Race Equality Standard (MWRES), BME doctors reported a worse experience at work compared to white doctors. This trend is seen across the whole career path from medical school to the consultant level. Furthermore, even when BME doctors become consultants, they report greater levels of discrimination and harassment and lower levels of feeling ‘involved’ at work.
It also mentions that the consequences of racism are likely to have a toll on the staff affected, but also the wider workforce and patient outcomes. 41.9% (53,157) of the medical and dental workforce in NHS trusts and clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) in England are from a BME background compared to 14% BME in the population.
The report highlights that the shortlisting and interview process discriminates against BME applicants for consultant appointments. BME doctors reported a worse experience than their white colleagues when it comes to harassment, bullying, abuse and discrimination from staff. BME doctors have a worse experience when it comes to examinations (medical school and postgraduation examinations) and regulation (revalidation, referrals/complaints to GMC, Annual Review of Competence Progression).
Responding to the report, BMA council chair Dr Chaand Nagpaul said: “It has also shone a light on the devastating scale and breadth at which ethnic minority doctors are being unfairly disadvantaged throughout their career, from training to appointment to representation in senior roles and higher incidences of bullying and harassment. There is clearly a need for systemic, widescale change across the entire NHS as the Government should be embarrassed and spurred to action by this report. There can be no excuse for not tackling this issue; the evidence is clear and resounding.”
NHS chief executive Simon Stevens who commissioned this report said: "The NHS's medical workforce is one of the most diverse in the country, and increasingly so. So it's all the more critical that the profession, local employers and the wider NHS nationally all now act on these important and wide-ranging findings."
Prerana Issar, Chief People Officer for the NHS said: “While it is pleasing that ever-increasing numbers of people from a BME background are choosing to become doctors and join our NHS, there is much more the NHS and other health bodies can do to improve representation and experiences for BME people.
“As part of our People Plan we have committed to support NHS organisations to make workplaces even more inclusive and compassionate, while it is also important that our partners in medical schools, Royal Colleges and other organisations take the steps required to improve the experience of staff from a BME background.”
