The challenge and the evidence

The report on The Snowy White Peaks of the NHS highlighted the absence of black and minority ethnic staff from the NHS at senior levels and concluded that not only has there been no progress but things may have actually got worse.

The report on Discrimination by Appointment concluded there was a substantial difference between the likelihood of BME and white staff being appointed from shortlisting across the NHS – and that it was much more likely than white staff would be appointed from interview than BME staff

The Healthy Board (2013) stressed the importance of diversity in NHS Boards but this had been ignored in many Boards. The linked Literature review is an excellent resource

NHS Employers commissioned work, published in 2010, showing it was twice as likely that BME staff would enter the disciplinary process as white staff

Two reports on midwifery explored the treatment of BME midwives within the disciplinary process. The Royal College of Midwives published a survey on the disproportionate impact on BME midwives

NHS London published a programme of work triggered by the RCM report in June 2014

Research by Michael West and Jeremy Dawson over several years has established a link between the treatment of BME staff and the patient experience. Some of that work is summarised in NHS Staff Management and Health Service Quality Michael West and Jeremy Dawson