At least 11 major NHS hospital trusts across England are fast-tracking ethnic minorities to top jobs as part of diversity initiatives.
The schemes are designed to help ethnic minority employees gain promotions into senior roles and improve representation in management positions.
These initiatives include "reverse mentoring" where junior ethnic minority staff mentor board members and "white ally training" for senior staff.
Dedicated development opportunities and leadership programmes are also being offered specifically to ethnic minority employees.
At least 11 major NHS hospital trusts across England are fast-tracking ethnic minorities to top jobs as part of diversity initiatives
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These "positive action" initiatives are legal under the 2010 Equality Act but have faced criticism for allegedly discriminating against white candidates during recruitment.
Critics argue the policies prioritise diversity targets over merit-based hiring decisions.
Steve Barclay, the former health secretary, told The Telegraph the health service should scrap "top down targets" and focus on hiring the best people for the job.
"The NHS should focus on building a genuine meritocracy, which will in turn enable diverse talent to thrive, rather than imposing top down targets which often distort the outcome for candidates," he said.
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University Hospitals Birmingham, University Hospitals Leicester, and Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust are among those running leadership programmes for ethnic minority staff.
These trusts have reported increased diversity in executive roles as a result of these initiatives.
NHS guidance encourages recruiters to ensure ethnic minority candidates appear on all interview shortlists, with some trusts adopting the Rooney Rule from American football.
Some hospitals require managers to explain why they didn't hire ethnic minority candidates, while others use race as a "tie-breaker" when candidates are equally qualified.
NHS guidance encourages recruiters to ensure ethnic minority candidates appear on all interview shortlists
PAThe NHS has a target to ensure its leadership reflects the overall black and minority ethnic workforce by 2028.
Some 30 NHS trusts in the North West have joined an anti-racism awards scheme requiring boards to have a minimum number of directors from ethnic minorities.
An NHS England spokesman said: "NHS services should only ever recruit the best candidate for the job – irrespective of race."
The spokesperson added that NHS trusts are responsible for setting their own recruitment policies "which support recruitment of the best people for the role."
A Department of Health spokesman said equality and diversity initiatives "should not be box-ticking exercises".
"Any schemes looking to improve equality must always be fair, with jobs given on merit, and employment legislation must be followed," the spokesman added.
