NHS Equality and Diversity Council publish WRES report

The NHS Equality and Diversity Council has published a report comparing the results of the experiences of black and ethnic minority (BME) and white staff from the 2015 staff survey at every NHS trust in the country.

The report has been compiled as part of the NHS Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES) which was introduced in April 2015 to make sure that employees from BME backgrounds have equal access to career opportunities and fair treatment in the NHS.

The report looks specifically at responses to staff survey questions about bullying and harassment in the workplace, and opportunities for career progression or promotion. The results reveal a wide variation, with some trusts showing far more progress than others in tackling race inequalities among their workforce. Key findings include:

• BME staff are more likely than non-BME staff to report that they have experienced harassment, bullying or abuse from other staff. This is true regardless of trust type or geographical region, but community provider and ambulance trusts are more likely to report this pattern.
• BME staff are generally less likely to report the belief that the trust provides equal opportunities for career progression or promotion.
• BME staff are more likely to report they are experiencing discrimination at work from a manager, team leader or other colleague
• Community provider trusts and mental health and learning disability trusts generally report a higher percentage of BME staff experiencing harassment, bullying or abuse from patients, relatives or the public.

From April 2016, progress on the WRES is being considered as part of the 'well led' key question for CQC’s inspections of NHS and independent provider hospitals. This follows a period of piloting ;and staff training. We have worked with NHS England and equality specialists in NHS trusts to develop our approach to incorporating the WRES into our inspections.

The WRES Report and accompanying action plan are analysed, Trusts are asked how they are addressing any issues identified and we speak to BME and white staff about their experiences of working in their organisations

Providers must publish an annual WRES report on their website each July. This is used to encourage organisations, particularly those with lower scores, to continuously improve standards.

As members of the Equality and Diversity Council we welcome this report. We are also committed to using the WRES to look at race equality for CQC staff. We are currently working on our next CQC WRES report which will be published by the end of July.

Find out more about the NHS Workforce Race Equality Standard and access the report.