Health service bodies have questioned a call from the health secretary Steve Barclay to halt recruitment into equality roles.
On 19 October, Barclay wrote to chairs of integrated care boards in England asking for them to scrap recruitment into specialist equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) roles, which he claims are not “value for money”.
He argues that “these issues are everyone’s responsibility and should be addressed through normal management processes rather than using external providers or dedicated roles within organisations”.
His letter follows another push against EDI initiatives in March, when Barclay wrote to a number of health quangos asking them to review their membership of diversity bodies such as Stonewall.
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The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union accused Barclay of “playing petty politics”.
General secretary Mark Serwotka said: “The NHS and its providers, under the Public Sector Equality Duty, have a legal requirement to address issues around EDI.
“These specialist roles are vital to tackle inequalities and discrimination in our health care system and wider society.”
He pointed to last year’s Messenger review, which determined that EDI roles are essential in all levels of the health service.
“There is no division between so-called front line and back office workers, the majority of whom are trade union members, committed to improving equality for patients and staff,” he added.
Sir Julian Hartley, chief executive of NHS Providers, echoed these concerns.
He said: “Evidence repeatedly shows there are stark inequalities in healthcare that must be tackled. EDI can help create an NHS-wide culture where leaders feel equipped to deal with all forms of discrimination.
“Work to instil values and behaviours that help build a more equal, diverse and inclusive health service, which ensures fair treatment and opportunity for everyone, is essential.
“As the NHS faces over 125,000 workforce gaps, ensuring the psychological safety of staff is key to retention and recruitment, which ultimately benefits patient care and outcomes.”
Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, Danny Mortimer, chief executive of NHS Employers, and Sarah Walter, director of the Integrated Care Systems Network, have jointly written a letter to the Department of Health and Social Care asking to meet to discuss the issue.
In it, they claim that the NHS “will simply not survive without a continued and reinvigorated focus on ensuring EDI is at the core of everything it does”.
They point to the challenges those from underrepresented groups working in the NHS face: 22% of the workforce has experienced racism, for example, and there is a need to address “long-standing misogyny and harassment” in many teams, it explains.
In a statement, the NHS Confederation said: “While our members share the Secretary of State’s commitment to ensuring that the money given to them by the taxpayer is spent wisely and with impact, they found Mr Barclay’s comments on EDI concerning.
“NHS leaders know that EDI is a key strategic function that contributes to increased productivity, efficiency, patient safety and quality improvement.
“It is clear to NHS leaders that the service will simply not survive without a continued and reinvigorated focus on ensuring EDI is at the core of everything it does, and we have asked the Secretary of State to meet with us to discuss this matter further.”
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