Black Minority and Ethnic (BME) nurses and midwifes are benefitting from a new course which started this week, ran by the NHS Leadership Academy and NHS England London.

One in five NHS nursing staff are from BME backgrounds yet there is still an under representation of BME nursing and midwifery staff reaching senior executive posts.

The Next Generation Career Acceleration Workshop is an initiative which aims to support leaders from under-represented groups to have access to focused support to enable them to progress to become executive leaders in healthcare.

The difference between this and any other leadership development programme is that this is specifically focused on BME nursing and midwifery staff securing executive level posts. At the end of the workshop, participants should be in a position to more effectively and confidently navigate the senior recruitment search and selection process.

Evidence suggests that candidates from a BME background can lack confidence when applying for senior posts often because of past experience. This programme provides future senior leaders with the opportunity to gain the confidence and resilience to apply for senior roles and to ultimately become leaders in the world of nursing.

The programme involves group workshops, bespoke one-to-one career development, coaching as well as a link to an existing chief nurse sponsor who will help to guide each participant.

Caroline Alexander, Chief Nurse at NHS England (London) is taking the lead in this work and is speaking at the event this week. Caroline said:

“We know that BME nurses are widely underrepresented at board level and this new programme is a great opportunity to change this. The programme will benefit NHS staff throughout the country and in turn, it will really benefit patient care. We need to provide patients with the best possible outcomes and I believe we can do this with diverse, strong nurses leading the way.

“I am looking forward to spending time with this really important group of nurse leaders at a critical time in their career.”

Eileen Bryant is Assistant Head of Quality and Regional Lead for Out of Hospital Care in NHS England (London) and was successful in securing a place on the programme.

Eileen said: “I’m really excited about the programme because it’s a unique opportunity for me and other BME staff within the NHS to learn more about the transition into the next level of senior management.

“The programme covers everything I will need to know – from applying for a senior role to the interview process. I’m looking forward to hearing from the many guest speakers who can share insight into their experiences of applying for senior roles. It will also be really beneficial to gain an insight into what it is like working at board level.

“The great thing about the course is that the support doesn’t end after the two days are over, we are provided with on-going support and mentorship. This is a fantastic opportunity for me to realise my full potential and to be confident in applying for more senior leadership roles in the NHS.”

Martin Hancock, Associate Director of the NHS Executive Search at the NHS Leadership Academy said:  “The NHS Executive Search team is delighted to be supporting NHS England with this important programme. Most of our work remains focused on helping NHS organisations make the very best appointments possible to their key board posts, but we take our responsibilities to the senior leaders in the system – our colleagues – very seriously too.

“The nature of the transition to a first board post and how to navigate the often complex recruitment and selection process that accompanies it is tends to be poorly understood.  This programme provides invaluable insight to both aspects and will ensure that the participants have the skills and on-going support that will give them the best chance of securing their first Director of Nursing role.

“That the programme will also help address the chronic under-representation of BME nursing professionals at the most senior levels of the NHS is an added bonus and it is a pleasure to be working with such a talented, motivated and impressive group of colleagues to help them realise their career ambitions.”