NHS needs to act to prevent ethnic minority communications staff talent drain, new report shows

NHS leaders need to act now to avoid a talent drain that could lead to a mass loss of ethnic minority communications staff within three years due to poor experiences, discrimination and a lack of trust in management, a new report has warned.

The report from the Taskforce for Diversity in NHS Communications (taskforce), published by NHS Providers, NHS Confederation, and the Centre for Health Communication Research (CHCR), sets out a series of recommendations to address the substantial gaps between ethnic minority communicators' career aspirations and their NHS experience and outcomes.

The taskforce has developed a charter with achievable and measurable actions to support the development of a diverse communications and engagement profession for the NHS, supported by strong allyship and advocacy.

Its headline ambition is that at least 15% of the most senior NHS communications professionals should be from an ethnic minority background by 2030, up from 5% in the most recent assessment.

In signing the charter, NHS leaders ranging from chairs, chief executives and chief people officers to communications directors and their senior managers will be encouraged to take personal responsibility for challenging racism and championing diversity.

The report sets out a series of recommendations aimed at addressing the lack of diversity in NHS communications roles and creating an environment where communications professionals and those from diverse backgrounds can thrive, contribute their unique perspectives and skills, and significantly enhance the NHS' capacity to serve its diverse workforce and communities effectively.

These include:

• Commit to shortlisting and interviewing every ethnic minority candidate who meets the minimum criteria alongside end-to-end blind recruitment processes to reduce bias, remove information about which establishments candidates studied at, and all other protected characteristics.
• The Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England to support a structured national mentoring programme and ensure all NHS communicators are included in the mentorship and support programmes.
• Collaborate with educational institutions to create placements and mentorship programmes that target diverse students, nurturing future talent while simultaneously expanding the pipeline of skilled professionals ready to join the workforce.
• Develop a comprehensive competency framework for NHS communications roles that clearly articulates what ethnic minority and other communications professionals need to do to climb to the most senior roles in the profession.
• Support staff to undertake the post-graduate course in health care communications and engagement, with a particular focus on identifying communications professionals from ethnic minority and other diverse backgrounds.

 

A survey of over 300 communications professionals, conducted as evidence for the recommendations of the taskforce, found that 26% of ethnic minority staff said they expect to leave the NHS within three years. This finding was reinforced in focus groups held by the taskforce.

Many reported experiencing racism, discrimination, microaggressions, biases and a lack of cultural understanding within their workplaces, which is having a negative impact on ethnic minority communications staff's sense of belonging, job satisfaction and overall wellbeing. 

Ethnic minority communications professionals, reflecting on their experiences in the NHS, told the taskforce that because of this they felt they would be happier and more satisfied in other sectors – citing better financial rewards, fairer treatment, improved workplace culture and better career progression opportunities as the driving force.

Taskforce chair, Edna Boampong, said:

"We cannot afford to lose the limited talent we have from ethnic minority backgrounds. Doing so risks undoing progress on diversity and inclusion.

"Representation matters – especially in communications. A team that reflects the local population is better positioned to build trust, understand cultural nuances and engage communities meaningfully, supporting the NHS' aim to reduce inequality.

"Equally, having diverse voices at senior levels ensures a range of lived experiences and cultural perspectives shape decisions. This isn't just about fairness – it's about making better, more inclusive decisions.

"While our report is focused on communications professionals in the NHS, we know that there is a lack of diversity at a senior level, across all sectors and that staff from ethnic minority backgrounds are more likely to face bullying and harassment.

"To deliver on the ambitions of the NHS 10-year health plan we must create an environment that supports ethnic minority staff to thrive and progress. Without that, we risk losing the very people who can help us connect with the diverse communities we serve."

The report from the taskforce also warns this talent drain could be exacerbated by the impending wave of NHS cuts and restructuring that will see integrated care boards having to reduce their running costs by 50%, and NHS trusts having to also make cuts to their corporate services.

With studies indicating a troubling trend that ethnic minority staff are often disproportionately affected by job cuts and restructurings, health leaders are concerned that ethnic minority communications staff could be significantly reduced, further impacting the NHS' ability to build trust with the diverse population it serves.

The report, based on a body of research including an extensive survey, engagement workshops with communications leads and one-to-one interviews with senior leaders across the NHS and third sector, also found that ethnic minority communicators consistently identify institutional racism and structural disadvantage as part of their working lives within the NHS.

Nearly two-thirds of ethnic minority communicators (63%) said they were dissatisfied with the culture within the NHS and view current diversity initiatives as superficial or "tick-box exercises" that fail to address underlying issues.

The chief executive of NHS Providers, Daniel Elkeles, said:

"Communications plays a key role in the NHS. Here, as elsewhere in the health service, there is strength in diversity. It is evident from the work of this taskforce that all-too-often that diversity is missing.

"The taskforce findings present a deeply worrying picture of the experiences of ethnic minority colleagues working in NHS communications.

"We have an opportunity, through the taskforce charter, to address these issues and in doing so strengthen the diversity and talent of the NHS communications profession."

The director of communications at the NHS Confederation, Daniel Reynolds, said:

"We need to move from admiring the problem to taking concrete action, and the charter we have published today shows how communications leaders and other NHS executives can make a difference.

"Time is running out if we don't, as droves of talented ethnic minority communications professionals are leaving the NHS – this is not only a terrible loss of talent for the NHS but also an indictment on NHS leaders and the experience of working in communications that we are collectively overseeing.

"The NHS Confederation and our partners won't stop here – we are committed to tracking progress and playing our part in addressing the conditions that force so many talented ethnic minority communications professionals to feel that they have no choice but to leave the NHS."

The deputy director at the CHCR and chief communications officer at Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Dan Charlton, said:

"The NHS communications profession has a problem with diversity. It's important to be up front about this, but that's not enough on its own. Rather than standing on the sidelines waiting for someone else to fix the problem, we need people to take personal responsibility for being part of the solution. A more ethnically diverse communications profession will place the NHS in a better position to meet the diverse needs of the local communities we serve. It is also about being an employer that demonstrably values different perspectives."