WRES report shows rise in bullying and discrimination against BME workforce

• Aparna Sreevalsan
• 27 February, 2023

THE Workforce Racial Equality Standard (WRES) 2022 Data Analysis Report for NHS trusts and clinical commissioning groups reveals rise in bullying and discrimination against BME workforce. The report was released by NHS England on Wednesday (22).

It showed an increase in the percentage of BME staff experiencing (28.9 per cent to 29.2 per cent) harassment, bullying, and abuse from patients, relatives, and the public following an encouraging decrease (30.3 per cent to 28.9 per cent) in the year 2021.

Other key highlights are:

• An increase of over 27,500 BME staff was seen in the previous year, with BME representation in the workforce increasing from 22.4 per cent to 24.2 per cent.
• Just 44.4 per cent of BME NHS staff believe their trust provides equal opportunities for career progression or promotion. This shows there is still a long way to go for NHS employers to facilitate true workplace equality for BME staff.
• BME board membership has increased from 12.6 per cent in 2021 to 13.2 per cent in 2022.

It used data from nine categories (four indicators relate specifically to workforce data, four based on data from the national NHS staff survey questions, and one considers BME representation on boards) to showcase the experience of black and minority ethnic (BME) persons working in the NHS and is released annually. The report also includes a comparison with data from prior years.

Joan Saddler OBE, director of partnerships and equality at the NHS Confederation, said: “This analysis highlights that whilst important progress is being made, there’s still much to do to improve the experience of Black and Minority Ethnic BME) staff working in the NHS and to eradicate the scourge of racism from across the service.

“NHS leaders are committed to ensuring tackling racism is intrinsic to all their work and the NHS Confederation is supporting them in making this commitment a reality through our EDI programme and our BME Leadership Network’s half-day conference ‘Courage in the face of discomfort: Anti-racism is the day job – let’s own it! on 19 April in London.”

Responding to the NHS WRES report, Dr Habib Naqvi, Chief Executive of the NHS Race and Health Observatory, said: “The latest Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES) data report reiterates the fact that whilst the NHS is diverse, it’s not always inclusive. We welcome the increase in the overall number of Black, Asian, and ethnic minority staff joining the NHS workforce, including the slight rise at board level, but there still remains unacceptable levels of discrimination, bullying, harassment and barriers to progression for significant proportions of our diverse staff.

“This is a critical challenge for all leaders across the NHS. Simple pledges and commitments are not good enough; we need concerted focus on practical action to eradicate the root causes that lead to differential experiences and opportunities for Black, Asian and ethnic minority staff in the NHS. Ensuring a more inclusive working environment for all staff is not only key to recruitment and retention, but it also benefits patient care and outcomes.

“As the biggest employer of Black and ethnic minority people in England, there is simply no room for racism in the NHS.”

NHS England stated that it will continue working with stakeholders, partners, and systems at national and regional levels to coordinate work across several areas to improve the experience of NHS staff from BME communities.