NHS England report highlights racial inequalities in staff treatment

Black and minority ethnic (BME) workers within the NHS are more likely to be treated poorly in the workplace, a new NHS study has shown.

The NHS Equality and Diversity Council has published the inaugural NHS Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES) report, which monitors experiences of BME and white staff at every NHS trust across England.

It was shown that 75 percent of all acute trusts showed a higher percentage of BME staff being harassed, bullied or abused by co-workers in comparison to white staff, while 86 percent of trusts reported a higher percentage of BME staff saying they do not believe their organisation offers equal opportunities for career progression or promotion.

The WRES study also showed that 81 percent of acute trusts report a higher proportion of BME staff having personally experienced discrimination from a manager, team leader or colleague.

Since this is the first report of its kind, it will be treated as a baseline from which NHS trusts will now be expected to improve.

Simon Stevens, chief executive of NHS England and co-chair of the NHS Equality and Diversity Council, said: "While some employers have got it right, for many others these staff survey results are both deeply concerning and a clear call to action."