NHS hospitals have set race quotas in a bid to win diversity awards under an “anti-racism” scheme.
Thirty NHS trusts have joined the programme, which requires boards to have minimum numbers of black, Asian or minority ethnic background directors in order to achieve gold status.
Former Health Secretary Steve Barclay called racial quotas “crude targets”, saying: “The NHS should have a relentless focus on developing a meritocracy – not on hitting arbitrary ideological targets, which can distort behaviours in organisations.”
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the absence of black employees was “glaring”, but warned against moves that could amount to “box-ticking”.
NHS hospitals have set race quotas in a bid to win diversity awards under an “anti-racism” scheme (stock image)
Getty
He said: “Jobs should always be given on merit, but I refuse to believe a lack of talent explains the absence of black leaders in the top NHS jobs. EDI [equality, diversity and inclusion] initiatives should not be there as some sort of box-ticking or time-wasting exercise. They should tackle genuine health inequalities for patients as well as rooting out workplace discrimination.”
When Barclay was health secretary, he ordered NHS chiefs to stop creating DEI roles. However, they refused to follow the advice.
Streeting has not reversed the order, speaking out earlier this month against “misguided” DEI agendas.
Various NHS services have committed to achieving “bronze status” by next month under the anti-racist network - which is being implemented across the North West. This requires them to hire an executive or director level EDI sponsor with a commitment to advancing anti-racism.
MORE LIKE THIS:
In order to achieve silver status, managers and senior staff members must have a personal development plan goal agreed “around equality, diversity and inclusion”. In addition, an executive director must attend “black, Asian and minority ethnic” staff network meetings at least four times a year.
Gold status means “an organisation’s board of directors diversity by ethnicity must match closely the diversity of the local population or at the minimum include one black, Asian or minority ethnic member (whichever figure is higher)”.
Evelyn Asante-Mensah, a co-chair of the assembly, said: “As inclusive leaders, it is vital that we all look at each of the areas set out in this anti-racist framework and seek to embed the change needed to transform our own departments and teams into places where this activity is not seen as just a nice to do, but is seen as mission-critical to all that we stand for.”
She added that it was imperative that tackling inequality was a “priority” to senior colleagues.
The Health Secretary said there were “daft” things being done in the name of DEI
GB NEWSSince Labour took power, over 35 DEI roles have been advertised within the NHS.
Salaries topped £80,000 and all but six allowed staff to work from home.
Analysis by Barclay found that senior NHS figures had ignored orders to get rid of diversity jobs by hiring numerous new equalities staff.
Speaking to a Macmillan Cancer Support event, the Health Secretary said there were “daft” things being done in the name of DEI.
In a post on X, he cited an NHS staff member who had advertised a job and said part of her practice was anti-whiteness.
Dr Florencia Gysbertha wrote: “The trainee will be supervised by myself, a counselling psychologist, who integrates anti-whiteness/anti-racist praxis into supervision and approaches to clinical work.”
Streeting said: “And I just thought ‘what the hell does that say to the bloke up in Wigan who’s more likely to die earlier than his more affluent white counterpart down in London?’. We’ve got real issues of inequality that affect working-class people. The ideological hobby horses need to go.”
In response to the post, East London NHS Foundation Trust said: “A post was shared last year by one colleague, using their own social media, which does not in any way represent the views, values or recruitment practices of the trust and this matter was addressed internally. The trust promotes equity, diversity and inclusion in all aspects of its work and services to the community.”
