Diversity, inclusion and belonging in the NHS

Many lessons were learned during the experience of COVID-19, by hospitals and also their staff. Following the pandemic, there was a clarion call for hospital Trusts to enable their staff to recover from their exhaustion and post-pandemic trauma by providing compassionate and supportive management. There are a great many challenges for leaders in the NHS at any time, but possibly the greatest number of serious challenges exist currently. The Messenger Review, which reported in 2022,¹ recommended that there should be targeted interventions on collaborative leadership and organisational values in order to strengthen leadership and management across health and social care. 

It also identified that equality, diversity and inclusion needed action. How staff are treated within the organisations profoundly affects the care provision they deliver, and inclusion is the watchword for value, support, and respect for all staff. Inclusion should be viewed as the extent to which staff believe they are valued and how much they therefore belong to that group. Inclusive workplaces and teams feel a sense of belonging, which increases the motivation and effectiveness of the group

Managing staff with respect and compassion correlates with improved patient satisfaction; lower infection and mortality rates; Care Quality Commission ratings; financial performance; as well as lower turnover and absenteeism.² The 2020 NHS Staff survey³ showed that 1 in 8 staff reported experiencing discrimination at work – this can be by patients or fellow staff or managers. They may be for the array of different protected characteristics outlined in the Equality Act 2010, as shown in Table 1.