NHS Providers has announced that a new taskforce has been launched today, to support diversity improvements in the NHS communications workforce.
Led by Edna Boampong, the taskforce will be hosted as part of the NHS Communicate partnership of NHS Providers, NHS Confederation, and the Centre for Health Communications Research. The decision to establish the taskforce came from The State of NHS Communications report, which was published by the partnership in March this year.
According to the report, less than 5% of the most senior professionals in NHS communications are from an ethnic minority background, whilst 61% of senior communicators said that they don’t have a communications workforce that is representative of their local community. Whilst the report acknowledges that this is not a like-for-like comparison thanks to the differences in seniority between the survey samples, the latest ‘census’ report from the Chartered Institute of Public Relations found that only 12% of communications professionals are from an ethnic minority background.
The taskforce will work to identify the barriers that hold back progress and practical solutions, with this helping NHS communications professionals and executive teams to improve diversity at all workforce levels, with a particular focus on senior roles.
Chair of the taskforce, and Programme Director for Diverse and Inclusive Communications, Edna Boampong, said:
“I am delighted to be leading this important taskforce on an issue that I am very passionate about. We need communications and engagement teams that reflect the communities they serve. This will help organisations engage more effectively with diverse communities and support the strategic aims of integrated care systems, which include improving health outcomes and reducing inequalities.
“We know this isn’t a unique issue for the communications profession; it permeates across the leadership of the NHS. I want the work of our taskforce to not only speak to and support communications professionals but also to challenge and support wider executive teams to take positive and sustained action.
“By championing diverse voices and perspectives at every level and in every profession, we not only strengthen our ability to serve all communities more effectively, but also cultivate more inclusive workplaces, which will help us recruit and retain the next generation of diverse leaders.”
Recruitment is currently underway for the taskforce, with member announcements to come. These members will include leaders in communication and engagement from across NHS organisations, as well as experts from other public sector bodies and experts in equality, diversity and inclusion.
At its first meeting, the taskforce will establish terms of reference, with its findings and recommendations expected before the end of the year. Ethnic diversity will be the main focus, but this could also come alongside other areas of diversity that the communications workforce lacks.
NHS Providers’ Director of Communications, Adam Brimelow, also commented:
“We continue to see a concerning lack of diversity amongst our most senior roles, particularly when it comes to ethnicity. As our survey report from March showed, we are almost certainly going backwards. We need to understand why and, more importantly, develop strategies to turn the tide. The taskforce will provide a renewed focus in this area.”
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