An independent review into the ethnicity pay gap in the NHS has been launched by the NHS Race and Health Observatory.
The University of Surrey will work with the observatory to undertake the review, which is the first such investigation into pay inequality among different ethnicities in the service.
The 18-month project will run until December 2026, looking at the differences in pay, career progressions and pension contributions.
It will also consider the cumulative financial earning potential between staff from different races, as well as explore why these differences exist and what can be done to address them.
The NHS is the biggest employer of black, Asian and minority ethnic staff in Europe. But despite such an ethnically diverse workforce, staff from ethnic minority backgrounds continue to be under-represented in senior pay bands.
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In September 2024, 29.5% of staff in NHS Trusts and core organisations were from an ethnic minority background, a 136% increase on September 2014. However, only 7.9% of staff in very senior management roles were from an ethnic minority background.
The gap between overall representation of ethnic minorities and leadership representation has grown from 12.6% in 2014 to 21.6% in 2024, the Observatory said.
Key leads on the review will be Carol Woodhams, professor of human resource management at the University of Surrey, and Doyin Atewologun, honorary professor at the University of Exeter and CEO of leadership and inclusion consultancy Delta.
Owen Chinembiri, assistant director of workforce at the NHS Race and Health Observatory, said: “Black, Asian and ethnic minority staff continue to face hurdles when it comes to career progression in the NHS.
“Even though there have been some improvements over the past few years, this has been slow, patchy and frustrating for ethnic minority staff who have been impacted for far too long.
“Tackling these inequalities is now an urgent matter that requires our collective understanding and action.
“This research will identify areas where there are unwarranted gaps in pay and career progression, as well as come up with impactful recommendations that can be implemented by the NHS to reduce and, ultimately, eliminate these inequalities.”
Last year, the government said it intended to introduce mandatory pay gap reporting for ethnicity and disability, but it is currently not a legal requirement.
Professor Woodhams said: “We’ve researched workplace pay gaps for many years, so we’re pleased to support this vital review. It’s a chance to uncover the root causes of ethnic disparities in NHS pay and progression, and to help drive meaningful, evidence-based change.”
Professor Atewologun added: “We will draw on our extensive experience in qualitative, intersectional research across health and other sectors, to contribute to providing a deeper understanding of ethnicity pay disparities and recommending sustainable, practical actions to help address them.”
The research will look at the nine Agenda for Change pay bands and staff progression across these bands. It will also look at earnings over career timespans and roles, using both qualitative and quantitative data.
Danny Mortimer, chief executive of NHS Employers, said: “The delivery of a better NHS and a healthier nation requires the best use of all the talents in our workforce: we cannot jeopardise this by the presence of inequalities and racism in our workplaces.
“The findings of this review will help us to work with our trade union colleagues to improve pay system and contract design, and will help us all to support NHS organisations across England to take action to address the issues identified by this crucial work.”
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