Health Management and Policy Alert

Internationally trained professionals joining the NMC register: 1 April 2021–31 March 2022

Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) - 

This analysis reveals that the profile of international professionals registered in 2021–2022 is very different from UK joiners and the register they joined. They’re more likely to be men and they’re much more likely to be ethnically diverse. The NMC is calling on health and care employers to fully support internationally trained professionals into UK practice – and join with UK trained nurses and midwives to create the most inclusive environment possible.

• Analysis
• Press release

Health and care LGBTQ+ inclusion framework

NHS Confederation -
The LGBTQ+ population in the UK experiences significant physical and mental health inequalities compared to the general population. These inequalities extend from increased risk factors for ill health and barriers to accessing health care and support, to discrimination against LGBTQ+ staff within the workplace. This framework comprises six key pillars of inclusivity that organisations should aim to build to create and maintain inclusive cultures: visible leadership and confident staff; a strong knowledge base; being non-heteronormative and non-cisnormative; collecting and reporting data; listening to service users; and proactively seeking out partners to co-deliver services.

• Framework
• NHS Confederation - publications

Autistic people’s healthcare information strategy for England

NHS England - 

This document sets out an initial strategy for the development of information about the health of, and healthcare received by autistic people in England, from sources already collected or in the process of being established.

• Strategy
• More detail

How are we doing? A coproduced approach to tracking young Black men’s experiences of community wellbeing and mental health programmes

Centre for Mental Health - 

There are few culturally relevant tools focusing on young Black men’s mental health outcomes. Using approaches that lack cultural sensitivity limit services’ ability to know whether they are working well, and can lead to mistrust and disengagement. Funded by Mind, Centre for Mental Health has designed a new, culturally informed approach to monitoring young Black men’s outcomes for accessing wellbeing support — Culturally appropriate evaluation for young Black men. It was coproduced with young Black men to identify what impact a service has on their mental health and wellbeing. Community wellbeing and mental health programmes are being asked to pilot the tool, to help determine its effectiveness.

• Report
• More detail

Equity in medical devices: independent review call for evidence

Department of Health and Social Care - 

As part of an independent review on equity in medical devices led by Professor Dame Margaret Whitehead, the government is seeking to tackle disparities in healthcare by gathering new evidence on how medical devices and technologies may be biased against patients of different ethnicities, genders and other socio-demographic groups. The consultation closes at 11:45pm on 6 October 2022.

• Consultation document
• Press release

 

Ambitious for change: research into NMC processes and people’s protected characteristics

Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC) -
This report outlines the findings from research into why some professionals have different experiences of NMC's processes. The report aims to understand why these differences exist and the impact they have on the workforce. The findings highlight opportunities to improve regulatory activities and ensure processes are fair. They also draw attention to how inequalities which cut across the health and social care sector and exist in wider society are contributing to the disparities.

• Report
• NMC - news

Experiences from health and social care: the treatment of lower-paid ethnic minority workers

Equality and Human Rights Commission - 
This is a report of the findings of an inquiry to assess the treatment and experiences of lower-paid ethnic minority workers in health and social care, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic. It found: incomplete data on lower-paid ethnic minority workers, particularly in adult social care; different treatment and experiences at work; commissioning and outsourcing leading to poor pay and insecure work; low awareness of employment rights; and fear of raising concerns and a lack of mechanisms to do so.

• Report
• Equality and Human Rights Commission - news

Shattered hopes: black and minority ethnic leaders’ experiences of breaking the glass ceiling in the NHS

NHS Confederation -
This survey, carried out by the NHS Confederation’s BME Leadership Network, found that many senior leaders from BME backgrounds had experienced verbal abuse and behaviour targeting their racial, national or cultural heritage at least once in the last three years. In addition, only one in ten respondents were confident that the NHS is delivering its commitment to combat institutional racism.

• Report
• NHS Confederation - news

Delivering racial equality in medicine

British Medical Association (BMA) -
This report reveals the possibility of a major exodus of doctors of ethnic minority backgrounds, due to persistent and intolerable levels of racism faced at a personal and institutional level. Nearly one third of doctors surveyed have considered leaving the NHS or have already left within the past two years due to race discrimination, with 42 per cent of Black and 41 per cent Asian doctors in particular having considered leaving or having left.

• Report
• BMA - press release

Mental Health Act reform: race and ethnic inequalities

Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology -
The Government announced plans in the Queen’s Speech to bring forward legislation to reform the Mental Health Act 1983. The proposals include approaches to reduce the disproportionate number of individuals from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities subject to compulsory detention and treatment. This briefing outlines research on race and ethnic inequalities in relation to the Act, summarises proposals for reform and stakeholder views.

• Briefing
• Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology - publications