February 27th 2024
Ethnic minority NHS staff likelier to face workplace discrimination
Minority ethnic NHS staff were more likely to face workplace harassment, discrimination, and unavailability of personal protective equipment (PPE) than their White British colleagues during the pandemic, according to new research.
The research, published in the journal Occupational & Environmental Medicine, drew on the responses of 4,622 NHS staff from 18 trusts to the TIDES Inequalities Survey. This is a partnership between the Tackling Inequalities and Discrimination Experiences in Health Services (TIDES) and NHS CHECK, which sought to capture the psychosocial impact of the pandemic on NHS staff.
The researchers analysed the survey responses to estimate the prevalence of negative workplace experiences during the pandemic among minority ethnic groups and to find out whether these experiences were associated with mental and physical health issues.
Of the total, 3,741 staff identified as White British, 392 as White Other, 136 as Black, 220 as Asian and 133 as mixed race. The over-50s made up the highest proportion of staff in all racial groups, bar Asian and mixed.
Most of the sample were women (75 percent), born in the UK (84%), worked in clinical roles (68%) and had a permanent employment contract (90%). Almost half the staff identifying as Black worked in non-clinical roles compared with a third of those identifying as White British.
On the other hand, staff identifying as Asian were predominantly employed in clinical roles and had the highest proportion of doctors. Staff identifying as mixed/other had the highest proportion of nurses.
Nearly a quarter of staff indicated probable depression, nearly one in five indicated probable anxiety and nearly a quarter reported medium/severe somatic symptoms.
The difference in the likelihood of experiencing probable depression among those who faced bullying, harassment and discrimination varied by ethnicity.
Staff who identified as mixed/other had a higher prevalence of probable depression (36%), anxiety (28%) and somatic symptoms (33%) than all the other ethnic groups.
A third of all the respondents reported experiences of workplace bullying, harassment, and abuse, and a fifth reported facing discrimination from other members of staff.
Staff identifying as Black and mixed/other were more than twice as likely to experience bullying, harassment, and abuse as their White British colleagues, and they were around four times as likely to face discrimination from other staff.
While Black staff were four times as likely to be risk-assessed during the pandemic as White British staff, they were also twice as likely to report a lack of available PPE. Asian staff, however, were 52% less likely to report PPE unavailability compared with White British Staff.
Lack of available PPE was associated with an approximate doubling in the reporting of probable depression, probable anxiety, and moderate/severe somatic symptoms. Bullying, harassment, and abuse were associated with a tripling in each of these health outcomes.
The researchers acknowledged the relatively low participation rate of staff from non-White ethnicities, but said their findings were in line with those of previous studies and staff surveys.
‘Our study found alarmingly high exposure to negative workplace experiences related to harassment and discrimination among ethnically minoritised NHS staff during the pandemic,’ the study said.
‘The short-term and long-term impacts of such experiences are likely to take a toll on the mental and physical health of employees, as well as their dependents and social networks, with implications for career progression, intention to remain at the NHS and salary.
‘It is crucial to prioritise racial discrimination as a public health issue, not just an ethical imperative, and ensure that decision-makers from ethically minoritised groups are involved in processes that affect their health and wellbeing.
‘These approaches are urgently required to address racism and inequalities in the UK healthcare system, which have long been recognised as both ‘avoidable and unjust’.’
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