22.01.14
NHS must improve race equality – Lord Crisp
More black and minority ethnic nurses are needed in leadership and management roles, Lord Nigel Crisp has urged, ten years on from the race equality action plan he published.
The former NHS chief executive said that equality could be getting worse, not better.
According to Department of Health statistics, just five of the 195 directors of nursing in England are black (and ten have not stated their ethnicity), although around a fifth of the nursing workforce as a whole is from a BME background.
Lord Crisp told the Nursing Standard: “Potentially this issue seems to be worse than before so I want to raise the profile of this problem.
“If the NHS is going to serve people well we need to make the best of everyone and the talent of all NHS staff and I feel we are not getting the best out of BME staff.”
Dr Peter Carter, chief executive & general secretary of the RCN, commented: “Nursing staff from black and minority ethnic backgrounds make a vital contribution to health care in this country. The failure of the NHS to make full use of their talents and skills is simply unacceptable.
“Senior managers in the NHS must address the barriers BME nurses face when applying for leadership roles. The danger is that without BME nurses in these roles, the NHS may fail to inspire the next generation of nurses or give them the confidence to progress in their careers.
“The NHS should be a champion of equality and fairness. Managers need to act now to promote equality in the workplace and ensure BME nurses are fully supported in accessing leadership programmes and taking on senior roles.”
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