NHS colleagues from across the country are being invited to enjoy an unprecedented online celebration of the LGBT+ community this Friday evening. To mark the time of year when thousands of people would ordinarily be gearing up for Pride season, the highlight of the LGBT+ calendar, NHS England is hosting its first-ever ‘Virtual Pride’ to […]

The head of the NHS in England Sir Simon Stevens has marked Windrush Day 2020 by committing the NHS to drive further improvements in race equality across the health service. On the 72nd anniversary of the arrival of the Empire Windrush, carrying migrants from the Caribbean to England, the NHS is marking the contribution of […]

The following is a personal message from NHS Chief Executive Simon Stevens, shared internally yesterday with all NHS England and NHS Improvement staff. Dear colleague, For the first time in many weeks something other than the coronavirus pandemic has dominated the news: Black Lives Matter. But these two moments are not disconnected. It is increasingly […]

NHS England’s Director of Workforce Race Equality is to lead a rapid programme of work to support black Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) staff across London, in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. Yvonne Coghill will focus on the capital, which has the largest workforce diversity, to support NHS employers to make further positive changes for […]

NHS England and the NHS Confederation have today confirmed the creation of a new centre to investigate the impact of race and ethnicity on people’s health. The NHS Race and Health Observatory, which will be hosted by the NHS Confederation, will identify and tackle the specific health challenges facing people from BAME backgrounds. It comes amid significant […]

NHS England and NHS Improvement has today welcomed the publication of updated risk assessment guidance which provides practical measures to advance the way risk assessments are carried out for BAME, at risk and other vulnerable staff groups working across the NHS. Risk assessments for staff, produced by NHS Employers, provides more detailed support to allow […]

NHS leaders have today thanked and commended Muslim staff and key healthcare workers for serving on the frontline and in supporting roles whilst fasting during the month of Ramadan. The Covid-19 crisis has required sacrifices from all NHS staff, but Muslims and other faith communities have met additional challenges working without sustenance during working hours. […]

As Muslims begin to prepare for the month of Ramadan, the NHS has issued a reminder to those who observe the Islamic holy month to avoid social gatherings because of the risk of coronavirus. Ramadan will be marked all over the world from Thursday 23 April with month-long fasting and observations of spiritual reflection set […]

NHS Chief Executive Sir Simon Stevens has today unveiled a new commitment to ensure that the health service’s ‘head office’ is representative of the wider workforce at all levels of seniority. Speaking at a meeting of NHS England and NHS Improvement’s black and minority ethnic (BME) staff network in Doncaster today, Sir Simon pledged actions […]

Every NHS trust in London now has at least one black and minority ethnic (BME) board member, according to new data published today. The latest assessment of race equality in the NHS – published to coincide with a major BMJ event on race and the NHS – shows a significant increase in representation of BME people at board […]