Source · Select Committees · Health and Social Care Committee
Recommendation 5
5
Deferred
Lack of diverse representation in NHS leadership and midwifery education limits care.
Conclusion
Addressing the current lack of diverse representation within NHS leadership and midwifery education is one practical action that can be taken to address concerns. When those entrusted with shaping clinical knowledge and practice and leading our healthcare organisations overwhelmingly reflect a single demographic, it limits the breadth of what is taught, prioritised, and thus, how care is delivered. (Conclusion, Paragraph 38)
Government response summary AI-generated
The government provides statistics on increases in the overall midwifery workforce and discusses rising complexities in births and potential digital tools for care. It mentions the 10 Year Workforce Plan but refers to a previous response for details, thereby deflecting from the specific recommendation about strategies for diverse representation in leadership and midwifery education.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government · verbatim extract
Deferred
We agree with the committee that it is important to diversify NHS leadership, including maternity service leaders and educators. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it. We are working through how the plan will articulate the changes for different professional groups. We are committed to working with partners to ensure the plan meets its aims, and will engage independent experts to make sure it is ambitious, forward looking and evidence based. In September, we launched our formal call for evidence for the 10 Year Workforce Plan, to provide stakeholders with the opportunity to contribute directly to the plan’s development. The government asked to hear from anyone with relevant evidence, including trade unions, royal colleges, employers, charities and those with expertise by experience. NHS England has commissioned the NHS Employers’ Diversity in Health and Care Partners Programme, which has empowered over 375 organisations to tackle inequality in the workplace. This provides organisations with access to: • leading industry experts • good practice, guidance and resources • networking opportunities This will help them to develop the necessary equality capacity and capability at a systems level to specifically deliver the requirements of the NHS EDI improvement plan, 10 Year Health Plan for England and forthcoming 10 Year Workforce Plan. The national Perinatal Equity and Anti-Discrimination Programme, which all trusts are expected to complete by 2027, will also play an important role in supporting leadership diversification. A core aim of the programme is to help senior leaders understand the importance of inclusive leadership and the impact of diversity on: • decision making • service delivery • staff experience By embedding anti-racist and anti-discriminatory principles into leadership behaviours and organisational culture, the programme is expected to provoke reflection and action within trusts on how leadership opportunities are created and sustained.
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