I have recent examined a range of data on race equality presented to the Boards of Trusts and ICS Boards.
In many cases the data is a limited use if it is intended (as it should be) to inform discussion and decision making on how to improve the treatment and opportunities of Black and minority Ethnic staff. In some cases the way the data is presented is positively misleading.
In a number of cases it falls well short of the national requirement set out in the Technical Guidance for the WRES. https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/nhs-workforce-race-equality-standard-technical-guidance/
1. Does the WRES 1 data disaggregate pay bands rather than group “senior” staff together in a way that may obscure how senior “senior staff” really are?
2. Does the WRES 2 data, as a minimum, disaggregate WRES data by clinical and non clinical staff and by pay band as required?
3. Does the WRES 2 data, at least in summary, recognise that significant number of internationally recruited staff will substantially improve the aggregate WRES 2 metric, thus giving a false impress9ion of greater progress within the appalment process that is actually the case? Does it therefore contain two calculations as some Trusts now do, of WRES 2 including such international recruits and not including them? (LINK)
4. Does the data for WRES metrics 1-4 include a trend analysis comparing the current data with the two previous years as a minimum
5. Do the WRES metrics 5-8 which are drawn from staff survey responses include bench mark data comparing the data to similar trusts – and gver time? This data is already contained in the NHS staff survey benchmark survey responses
6. Does your Trust have a dashboard that brings together equality data drawn from the staff survey, WRES, and WDES reports to enable granular scrutiny and support?
7. Does the reported Board data include the data from staff survey question Q16c.1 On what grounds have you experienced discrimination? - Ethnic background, which compares different response rates for different themes of discrimination – often in a telling manner
8. Does the reported Board race equality report include response rates to the national staff survey disaggregated by ethnicity and disability?
9. Does the routine Board race equality data report include data drawn from the NHS Bank Workforce Race Equality Standard report? If not why not? https://www.nhsstaffsurveys.com/results/bank-worker-results/
10.Does your Freedom to Speak Up Board report contain an analysis of Trust data by ethnicity and of the National staff question 20a and 20b and questions 25e and 25f on whether staff raise concerns and are satisfied with the response they get?
11. Has you Trust analysed the data the Medical WRES was intended to collect and is a report of that presented to the Board? If not, why not?https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/medical-workforce-race-equality-standard-2022/
12.Has the Board received data on the current Race Equality Gap with an explanation of how it is improving (or not)
13.Do Very Senior Manager and Board appraisals pay attention to this data as a mandatory element of improvement? Is it published on the organisation’s web site?
If your Board cannot answer YES to all these questions it is entirely unclear how they can possibly develop an effective strategy on race equity without the basic data to underpin it. Data should not be collected for the sake it it but to drive improvement. Without reliable data, a credible improvement plan cannot be developed and implemented.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) and NHS England have jointly developed and published new well-led guidance for trusts under the Single assessment framework which can be accessed on the CQC website and is applicable to all trusts from April 2024. The full summary is at https://www.england.nhs.uk/well-led-framework/
The NHS EDI Improvement Plan requires organisations to provide some of this data https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/nhs-equality-diversity-and-inclusion-improvement-plan/
Finally, these questions are the ones that everyone concerned about service and staff improvement should be asking – including every staff network and trade union staff side.
Are you?
Further reading
WRES 2 data and international recruitment: a serious problem? https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/wres-2-data-international-recruitment-serious-problem-roger-kline-miyhe/
Ten years on: The Snowy White Peaks of the NHShttps://bmjleader.bmj.com/content/early/2024/
Other writings relevant to this topic can be found at https://www.rogerkline.co.uk/about11/17/leader-2024-001022
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