London NHS Covid-19 race equality programme announced

Yvonne Coghill, NHS England’s Director of Workforce Race Equality, is set to lead a rapid programme of work aimed at supporting Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) staff across London in response to the Covid-19 outbreak.

With a focus on the capital, which has the largest workforce diversity, Ms Coghill and her team will look to support NHS employers to make further positive changes for their staff.

The NHS Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES) programme was established to understand the experience of people from BAME backgrounds working in the NHS and make practical improvements on key issues including recruitment, development and disciplinary processes.

In response to the coronavirus outbreak, the NHS nationally has taken further action to support BAME staff as evidence shows people from these backgrounds are at greater risk of harm.

All local NHS employers are expected to undertake risk assessments of the working environments, patterns and responsibilities of their BAME staff and make changes to staffing to protect those at risk, with Ms Coghill’s new programme of work set to help local services make changes, informed by learning from the WRES programme.

In her place, Ms Coghill will be replaced by Habib Naqvi, Deputy Director of the WRES programme, until autumn, when a permanent appointment will be made.

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Source: NHE

Date: 10/06/2020