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Equal opportunities
High labour demand has increased efforts to recruit from a more diverse workforce (in particular, ethnic minorities, socially excluded persons, disabled people and asylum seekers) and to retain older staff approaching their retirement (in particular GPs).
Health sector workforce characteristics, 2004
Source Skills for Health 2005, figure 2.2. Based on 2004 Labour Force Survey.
Gender
The NHS and general practice workforce in England is predominately female (77% with figures for the UK health care sector being similar).
Nurses, health visitors and midwives and allied health professionals account for the highest share of women (89% and 86% respectively).
Women are disproportionately under-represented in the medical profession (37%), particularly at consultant level (26%) and among qualified ambulance staff (31%). However, 6 in 10 managers in non-clinical areas are women, which is surprising as managment is normally a male-dominated field. At Executive Board level women have increased their share from 33% in 2000 to 43% in 2004. Thus targets set by the Department of Health by December 2004 were achieved.
Source: Skills for Health 2003
For information on staff by gender and trend data on the gender profile of the sector see:
Ethnicity
Overall, around 14% of NHS staff are from ethnic minority groups, which is above figures for the population in England. However, the figures by occupation vary:
- 2% for ambulance staff
- 7% for allied health professionals
- 40% in the medical and dental workforce
The medical and dental workforce has a high percentage of staff from an Asian or Asian British background. At consultant level the share of ethnic minority groups drops down to 23%. A study among medical practitioners found that ethnicity is an issue in terms of access to training and in particular career advancement. At executive board level, the share of ethnic minority groups increased slightly from 3% to 7.5% between 2000 and 2004.
The health sector in London attracts a higher percentage of employees from black and ethnic minority groups, particularly nursing auxiliaries (54%), nurses (42%) and pharmacists (39%).
Source: NHS medical and non-medical census 2005 and Cook et al. 2003
Initiative addressing ethnicity in the NHS workforce:
-
Breaking through Programme for Black and minority ethnic staff in the NHS
- Launched in 2003, the programme offers development activities for Black and Minority Ethnic staff aspiring to progress into leadership roles. The programme offers the opportunity for individuals to develop personal development plans based on clear and objective diagnostic tools. It provides development activities which will support career planning and progression, develop leadership skills and capabilities, and provide the space to engage with and understand the issues facing Black and minority ethnic staff in the NHS.
Disability
5% of NHS staff reported a disability, compared to 3% in 2004.
Source: Health Care Commission 2006
Age
Compared to the overall economy the NHS has an older workforce, with a quarter of the workforce aged 33-44 years. Age profile of the health workforce in England:
- 7% in the workforce are aged 16-24 years
- 23% aged 25-34 years
- 30% aged 35-44 years
- 25% aged 45-54 years
- 15% aged 55 years and over
The percentage of those aged 45 or over varies considerably by staff group with some recording rates similar to the overall economy, such as medical and dental NHS staff, and others far higher rates, such as health care assistants and support staff as well as management and administrative staff.
Source: Skills for Health 2006 and Skills for Health 2003
Last cached: 2008-05-07 11:06 AM