Ethnic minority health workers ‘more likely to report bullying’, NHS England

Black and ethnic minority (BME) NHS staff in England are more likely to report being bullied or harassed than white colleagues, the health service has said.

A report by NHS England found 75% of acute trusts had a higher percentage of BME staff reporting being harassed, bullied or abused by staff in comparison to white staff.

The NHS said it would invest £2 million over two years to deal with the issue.

The NHS Equality and Diversity Council published its first report on the Workforce Race Equality Standard.

It also found that in 86% of acute trusts, a higher percentage of BME staff do not believe that their organisation offers equal opportunities for career progression or promotion in comparison with white staff.

Only five organisations reported the same response rate, indicating no gap between BME and white experience and in 22% of trusts, the trend was reversed.

In 81% of acute trusts, a higher proportion of BME staff having personally experienced discrimination from a manager, team leader or colleague than white staff.

Simon Stevens, chief executive of NHS England, and co-chairman of the NHS Equality and Diversity Council said: “This report provides unvarnished feedback to every hospital and trust across the NHS about the experiences of their BME staff.

“It confirms that while some employers have got it right, for many others these staff survey results are both deeply concerning and a clear call to action.”

The report is the first of its kind but will now be published annually.

_{Copyright (c) Press Association Ltd. 2016, All Rights Reserved. Picture (c) Peter Byrne / PA Wire.}