Black and Minority Ethnic Leaders in the Health Sector

Abstract

As several studies indicate, the National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom is one of the largest employers for Black and minority ethnic (BME) people. Despite many positive action (PA) initiatives to support disadvantaged groups, only a handful of people have managed to progress to senior management. This article considers published literature in relation to BME leadership in NHS and the specific types of PA activities that have been set up to address some issues around inequality. In addition to PA activities, the article also considers the U.K. equality framework. Positive action is allowed under the U.K. legislation for organizations to recruit people from underrepresented communities on merit. It allows organizations to create different initiatives for people to gain appropriate qualifications, skills, and experience to compete for promotions or for better job opportunities.