As part of the eight actions to quickly and practically address health inequalities, There was a
strong sense across our group that without clear and accountable leadership at all levels
of the NHS, then progress will continue to be limited.
For the Group, this became the highest
priority and is about ensuring that the NHS better contributes to addressing health inequalities
and requires clear, inclusive and accountable leadership from people like me and others
in leadership positions across the NHS.
This can’t be just about hierarchical leadership. But there is no getting away
from the fact that accountable officers must take responsibility for change at both the
organisational and system levels of leadership.
To strengthen leadership and accountability further, there will be an expectation that all systems whether
they be Integrated Care Systems or Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships, and statutory
NHS organisations, should identify, by the end of September, an executive Board-level
lead for tackling inequalities. To be clear this should not be designated
to Non-Executive Directors. While we are certain that most NEDs are passionate about tackling
health inequalities there needs to be a continuous - day by day - focus on bringing about this change
that we need to see across organisations and systems alike.
We are also asking Primary Care Networks to nominate their Clinical Director or an alternative
lead to champion health equity.
We recognised the existing leadership asks of the recently emerged PCNs are considerable, but
we know that there is a passion and commitment across Primary Care to tackle health inequalities.
Therefore we believe that a collective leadership
focus should further strengthen existing accountability arrangements.
The NHS’s role in addressing health inequalities
will also be enhanced by ensuring that our People reflect the diversity of the communities
we serve. NHS organisations have therefore been asked to overhaul recruitment practices
by October 2020, to ensure their workforce reflects the diversity of their community,
and to urgently review their senior talent pipeline.
Each NHS Trust and CCG has important objectives in this regard, which it will be essential to
progress in the coming months; and NHS England and NHS Improvement is itself committed
to ensuring that at least 19% of its staff come from a Black, Asian or minority ethnic
background at every level, including board level, mirroring the proportion in the NHS
workforce as whole.
The reality is that a quarter of a million of the NHS workforce in England is
identified as Black, Asian or minority ethnic. Therefore, the desire for change is not just
about representation or numbers but it is about mobilising this collective knowledge
and experience to not only continue to provide fantastic care, but to expand our role as
powerful advocates for health, within our local communities and at the level of national
policy development. The NHS is driven by the fundamental principle
of doing the right thing for our patients and our people. Now is the time to tackle
health inequalities head on. Thank you for playing your part in this.