NHS racism: staff fear troublemaker label for raising concerns
Posted 19 February 2024 - 12:30
Three quarters of survey respondents did not raise a race concern as they believe nothing will change in the NHS, while over 40% left a job because of racism
A new report has found a culture of denial and apathy towards racism in the NHS, with black people and individuals from minority ethnic backgrounds less likely to be shortlisted for jobs or progression opportunities.
The Too Hot to Handle report from human rights charity brap brings together key learning points from tribunal cases, as well as 1,327 responses from NHS staff to a survey on racism, which was conducted online between May and July 2023.
Report describes marginalisation of staff
The survey found three quarters of respondents had not raised a race concern as they believed nothing would change, and 63.5% believed they would be branded a ‘troublemaker’ if they spoke up. It also found more than 40% had left their roles because of racism.
The report, published earlier this month, also found that racism was systemic in the NHS, with black people and individuals from minority ethnic backgrounds often marginalised through ‘formal and informal habits and norms that subtly and consistently disparage, limit and dehumanise individuals who are racialised as non-white’.
Staff should ‘feel valued, respected and included in their roles’
Nurse Michelle Cox, who won a landmark tribunal against NHS England for racism last year, welcomed the report. She said: ‘What is apparent are the recurring themes, from poor investigations to high levels of defensiveness where NHS organisations repeatedly dispute allegations of discrimination despite the evidence.
‘Organisations need to be open and curious so that black and minoritised ethnic staff can feel valued, respected and included in their roles, without the need for drawn-out and poorly conducted investigations and grievances that progress to employment tribunals.’
Chief nursing officer for England Dame Ruth May called the report ‘incredibly powerful’ and urged employers to implement its recommendations, which include acknowledging systemic racism and displaying a willingness to have challenging conversations to initiate change.
NHS 'too often fails its minority ethnic staff’
The RCN backed calls for change, saying employers needed to act to ‘root out racism’ in the NHS workforce. General secretary Pat Cullen added: ‘The findings of this report should force us all to act. It’s critical that we not only talk about racism but also act in a decisively anti-racist way.
‘The NHS too often fails its minority ethnic staff. These colleagues are substantially less likely to be shortlisted for jobs, less likely to reach the top table, more likely to face disciplinary action, and more likely to report harassment, bullying and abuse from patients than their white counterparts.
‘To see so many who feel driven out of their jobs in the middle of a recruitment crisis because of discrimination is sickening and adds to the peril patients face.’
NHS England has been contacted for a response to the report’s findings.
Further information
Too Hot To Handle? Why Concerns About Racism Are Not Heard… Or Acted On
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