NHS creates hundreds of ‘woke’ diversity and inclusion roles, despite crackdown on waste
- Three new departments and 244 roles will be recruited across the NHS
The NHS has created hundreds of diversity and inclusion roles, a move that has ‘frustrated’ Health Secretary Steve Barclay.
In plans seen by the Telegraphthe NHS has proposed three new departments: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, People and Culture, and People and Communities.
244 positions will be recruited across all departments, despite Mr Barclay writing to health authorities in March demanding diversity and inclusion be covered within ‘normal management processes’ rather than by specific teams.
A source close to Mr Barclay described equality teams as ‘enforcing woke doctrine’ and the Health Secretary himself urged NHS England to get rid of the roles to ‘ensure good value for money’ to guarantee’.
It comes at a time when NHS waiting lists in England are rising to a record high, with 7.68 million people (or one in seven) waiting for routine treatment.
In plans seen by the Telegraph, the NHS has proposed three new departments: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, People and Culture, and People and Communities.
Nearly £14 million has been budgeted to staff the new D&I departments, which will come into effect from April next year. There is a staff budget of £3 million for a dedicated Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) department.
Of the 244 positions, 177 of the hired employees will receive a salary of more than £50,000.
The new EDI department will focus on ‘policy, knowledge and expertise in areas other than race and disability’, while other new departments, People and Culture, and People and Communities, will focus on inclusion – such as LGBT health and inequality .
A source close to the health minister described the move as “changing backroom bureaucracy for patient care on the front line.”
Despite his calls for a focus on patient care, Barclay has cut one in six civil service positions at the Department of Health since October, reducing the workforce by around 600 workers.
Frank Young, director of right-wing think tank Civitas, claimed: ‘Most ordinary people will be stunned to see money being spent on equality consultants again that could be spent treating sick people in hospitals.’
Mr Young also claimed that the new roles would ‘likely’ come at the expense of ‘real healthcare for patients’, although he provided no evidence for this claim.
It comes at a time when NHS waiting lists in England are rising to a record high, with 7.68 million people – or one in seven – waiting for routine treatment (file photo)
The increased role for equality within the NHS comes after the Independent revealed in January that the health service had failed to improve ‘shocking’ levels of racism among staff.
As many as one in three black employees said they had experienced discrimination or harassment, compared to just one in five white staff. It was found that rates had not improved over the past five years.
An NHS spokesperson said: ‘While there are legal equality obligations that the NHS must meet, and they can make an important contribution to retaining and recruiting the hundreds of thousands of NHS staff needed now and in the future to care for patients, In fact, the number of EDI roles at NHS England has fallen by more than a third over the past year as part of our efforts to ensure an even greater share of NHS funding reaches the frontline.”
MailOnline has contacted NHS England and the DHSC for comment.
