Diversity Amongst Decision Makers?: Black & Minority Ethnic (BME) Representation in Pandemic-Era NHS Management

Though Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) populations have been significantly overrepresented in COVID-19 mortality statistics, they are vastly underrepresented in NHS management. It is critical to address this lack of diversity amongst decision makers to ensure equitable representation, as current NHS leadership is not adequately representative of the workforce or communities for whom it cares. Principally this project asks: what is the scope and capacity within non-clinical NHS management and NHS decision-making to understand and address BME healthcare worker experience in the face of emerging and changing health care structures, and how can it be improved for the future of equitable health service delivery and diversity in the workforce? Working with the Nuffield Trust, key project goals are: Investigate the current understandings and approaches to race and ethnicity within non-clinical London NHS Management teams. This will be achieved through embedded ethnography within 1-3 London NHS Trusts; chosen for diversity of workforce. Encourage more open dialogue to navigate ethnic and racial concerns when it comes to mitigating COVID-19 and other future health risks. This will be achieved through an open-access, widely available report and associated workshop-toolkit that will be published online and circulated to management teams and stakeholders.