Top doctor says ‘racism is an eyesore on the NHS’ and he needs to stamp it out | British News

“Racism is an eyesore on the NHS” and the public health service has a duty to do more to eradicate it, a top psychiatrist warns.

dr Adrian James, the outgoing president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, will tell fellow experts that tackling racism is “key to recruiting and retaining psychiatrists and other healthcare professionals”.

He is scheduled to speak at the University’s International Congress in Liverpool.

Problems linked to racism include pay differentials, inequalities in disciplinary procedures and a “glass ceiling” for doctors from minority ethnic backgrounds who want to rise to managerial positions, he said.

Last month the NHS Race and Health Observatory – set up in 2021 to study race differences in health and social care – said better anti-racism policies could empower the NHS workforce.

The organization called for “better care, training and action to combat racism” to increase the number of staff in the NHS, saying it would “improve the patient experience and save millions of pounds spent annually on dealing with allegations of racism by staff.” , doctors and patients”. .

The Royal College of Psychiatrists has launched a new campaign calling on mental health employers across the UK to take a number of practical steps in leadership, accountability and access to opportunities to tackle racism in the workplace.

In his farewell speech on Monday after three years in this role, Dr. James is expected to say: “Institutional racism is rampant in society and the NHS is not immune.”

“We are seeing the detrimental impact on colleagues who are leaving the NHS in droves.”

“This can be seen in the unfair ethnic wage differentials, inequalities in disciplinary procedures, and the glass ceiling that prevents ethnic minority physicians from filling managerial positions.”

“Tackling racism in the workplace is key to recruiting and retaining psychiatrists and other healthcare professionals.”

“To be clear, there is absolutely no place for racism in today’s society.” It’s an eyesore on the NHS. It damages mental health and makes existing mental illnesses worse.

“It destroys lives – the lives of patients and colleagues.” “The NHS has a moral, ethical and legal duty to do far more to eradicate racism in all its forms.”

A recent college survey found that more than half (58%) of minority ethnic doctors said they had encountered racism in the workplace.

More than a quarter (29%) of respondents said it had impacted their health, and four in 10 (41%) said it had impacted patients or caregivers.

dr James will add: “Our guide to tackling racism in the workplace will help any mental health employer in the UK tackle racism at a strategic and systemic level.”

“It provides clear, measurable actions for employers and guidance on how to implement them. It shows employers how to identify and respond to cases of racial and ethnic discrimination, and points them to sources of support inside and outside their own organisation.”

An NHS spokesman said: “Any form of abuse, including racism, is totally unacceptable and NHS England has recently published the first EDI (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion) improvement plan as part of the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan to ensure that NHS organizations continually improve the experience of our diverse workforce – which in turn improves patient care.”

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