BAME British doctors and overseas-trained doctors working in the UK experience “persistent and harmful” inequalities throughout their careers, the healthcare regulator has warned.
The General Medical Council (GMC) said too many doctors were still being reported for misconduct by their employers compared to white, UK-trained doctors.
It also said there was a hostile “culture” in too many parts of the NHS, with doctors experiencing “discrimination and disadvantage” in their efforts to advance their medical careers. the report said.
The report, by GMC chief executive Charlie Massey, aims to stamp out discrimination.
In his foreword, Massey points out that the composition of the healthcare workforce across the UK is changing. More than half of the doctors registered with the GMC last year were international medical graduates (IMGs) who trained overseas, and “the UK’s graduate demographic is becoming increasingly diverse”.
However, he said: “But for too many doctors, health care is a story of discrimination and disadvantage. From the early years of education and training to leadership positions later in life, issues of inequality are persistent and pernicious.
“This inequity is deep-rooted and long-standing. It undermines doctors’ morale and ability to perform at their best. It shames our health service.
“Fair treatment is not the right of a select few. It is the right of all doctors, no matter who they are.”
The report provides a detailed update on the targets set by the GMC for 2021 to tackle “persistent areas of inequality”. The scheme was established in response to persistent criticism of the disproportionate number of UK-trained and overseas-trained BAME doctors being referred to BAME patients for suspected breaches of the code of conduct.
The report says progress has been made toward these goals. For example, bodies such as NHS trusts and health boards across England were found to have referred a disproportionate number of doctors to the GMC for investigation based on race or place of qualification, compared to the previous year. This decreased from 5.6% to 3.2%. From 2016 to 2023.
Similarly, the difference in the rate at which employers refer doctors to GMCs between ethnic minority and white doctors decreased from 0.28% to 0.13% between 2016 and last year.
Such referrals not only show “signs of sustained improvement” but also “achievement gaps” in how IMGs will fare in their careers as they begin training in their chosen specialty. is shrinking.
Mr Massey told the Guardian that too many “doctors work in a culture that is not inclusive enough”, particularly given the increasingly diverse workforce in the NHS. He added that the deep rift between white doctors and the UK’s BAME counterparts and IMGs was “shameful” and “unacceptable”.
But he praised the efforts of some NHS employers, particularly Hywel Dda Health Board in Wales, which helps IMGs settle in the UK through help with finding housing and schools, and brings them into the workplace through tailored induction programmes. It took hold.
Mr Massey called on more NHS organizations to learn from examples like this and avoid situations in which new doctors arriving in the UK are “thrown” into medical duty with little preparation.
The British Medical Association has called on the NHS to act quickly to end discrimination and make British healthcare a more welcoming and inclusive environment for non-white doctors.
Professor Philip Banfield, Chair of the BMA’s Board of Trustees, said: “The GMC recognizes, in its own words, the ‘persistent and harmful’ inequalities that ethnic minority doctors and our colleagues from overseas are still forced to endure throughout their careers. There is.”
“While there may be signs of progress in some areas, we will not be satisfied until doctors of all backgrounds have equal opportunities, are free from discrimination, and are treated with equal respect and fairness. .”
He added: “This extends across their training and career development, into their daily interactions with colleagues and patients at work, and into the very way GMCs behave and treat doctors undergoing Fitness to Practice. It must be reflected,” he added.
The Department of Health and Social Care said the “disparities” identified in the GMC report were unacceptable.
“We are proud that the NHS is one of the most diverse organizations in this country, but this disparity in career paths is clearly unacceptable. This report shows that while progress is being made, , the spokesperson said, underscoring the importance of working even faster to address these inequalities.
“We will work to close these gaps as we fix our broken NHS and deliver our 10-year plan for health. We are committed to supporting NHS England’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Improvement Plan, which sets out targeted action to tackle bigotry and discrimination.”
