Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES) 2024

The Workforce Race Equality Standard (WDES) is a set of nine specific measures which enables the Trust to compare the workplace and career experiences of black and minority ethnic (BME) and White staff.  The Trust uses the data to develop and publish an action plan. Year on year comparison enables the Trust to demonstrate progress against the indicators of race equality. Five metrics are taken from the Electronic Staff Record (ESR) and the remainder are taken from the staff survey. All percentages relate to those who completed the staff survey.

1. Name of organisation

The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

• Date of report

Month:  May         Year: 2024

• Name and title of Board lead for the Workforce Race Equality Standard

Christine Brereton – Chief People Officer

• Name and contact details of lead manager compiling this report

Karen Pearce – Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (People)

• Unique URL link on which this Report and associated Action Plan will be found

• This report has been signed off by on behalf of the board on

Date: 23 May 2024

Name:  Christine Brereton, Chief People Officer

Background narrative

• Any issues of completeness of data

A comparatively small number of unknown/null data relating to ethnicity of current staff remain

• Any matters relating to reliability of comparisons with previous years

None

• Total number of staff employed within this organisation at the date of the report (March 2023)

16,391 (excluding bank and agency staff)

1. Proportion of BME staff employed within this organisation at the date of the report?

16.25% (Full Time Equivalent (FTE))

1. The proportion of total staff who have self–reported their ethnicity?

98.65%

1. Have any steps been taken in the last reporting period to improve the level of self-reporting by ethnicity?
2. Fully implemented Employee Self Service.
3. Full roll out of the ESR employee portal complete.
4. Employee Self-Service portal now includes a portlet to notify staff if they have not updated their equality and diversity details in the past 12 months and allows them to update their record directly from the portal.

1. Are any steps planned during the current reporting period to improve the level of self-reporting by ethnicity?

No

1. What period does the organisation’s workforce data refer to?

April 2023 – March 2024

Workforce Race Equality Indicators

1. Percentage of staff in each of the AfC Bands 1-9 and VSM (including executive Board members) compared with the percentage of staff in the overall workforce. Organisations should undertake this calculation separately for non-clinical and for clinical staff

Non-Clinical Workforce 2023 and 2024 (headcount)

Clinical Workforce 2023 and 2024 (headcount)

• 98.65% of staff have recorded their ethnicity. 

1. Relative likelihood of staff being appointed from shortlisting across all posts.

Data for reporting year: 1.35

Data for previous year:  1.06

1. Relative likelihood of staff entering the formal disciplinary process, as measured by entry into a formal disciplinary investigation.

Data for reporting year: 0.47

Data for previous year: 0.87

Trust data identifies BME members of staff are less likely to enter formal disciplinary processes.

Trust is now outside the non-adverse range of 0.8 – 1.25. 

1. Relative likelihood of staff accessing non-mandatory training and CPD

Data for reporting year: 1.41

Data for previous year: 1.21

Trust data identifies BME members of staff are less likely to access non-mandatory training and Continuing Professional Development (CPD). 

1. KF 25. Percentage of staff experiencing harassment, bullying or abuse from patients, relatives or the public in last 12 months

Data for reporting year:                                  White 22.34%    BME 22.15%

Data for previous reporting year:                 White 25.89%   BME 28.13%

• KF 26. Percentage of staff experiencing harassment, bullying or abuse from staff in last 12 months

Data for reporting year:                                  White 23.01%      BME 32.62%

Data for previous year:                                   White 22.15%      BME 30.33%

• KF 21. Percentage believing that trust provides equal opportunities for career progression or promotion.

Data for reporting year:                                  White 57.01%    BME 45.45%

Data for previous year:                                   White 63.12%      BME 50.25%

• Q17. In the last 12 months have you personally experienced discrimination at work from any of the following? b) Manager/team leader or other colleagues

Data for reporting year:                                  White 7.58%      BME 21.81%

Data for previous year:                                   White 6.03%      BME 20.3%

• Percentage difference between the organisations’ Board voting membership and its overall workforce.

Data for reporting year:                                  BME -12.1%

Data for previous year:                                   BME -8.9%

• Are there any other factors or data which should be taken into consideration in assessing progress?

None

• Organisations should produce a detailed WRES action plan, agreed by its board. It is good practice for this action plan to be published on the organisation’s website, alongside their WRES data. Such a plan would elaborate on the actions summarised in this report, setting out the next steps with milestones for expected progress against the WRES indicators. It may also identify the links with other work streams agreed at board level, such as EDS2. You are asked to provide a link to your WRES action plan in the space below.

• Organisational Priorities Going Forward

The Trust still has some significant challenges. Despite the initiatives put in place, the WRES data still identifies some areas that are concerning for the Trust specifically around compassionate leadership, cultural awareness, race discrimination and behaviours.

Culture/behaviours: Indicator 6 (percentage of staff experiencing harassment, bullying or abuse from staff in last 12 months) and Indicator 8 (percentage of staff experiencing discrimination at work from a manager/team leader or other colleagues).  The People Priorities work for 2024/25 are linked directly to the NHS People Promise aimed at improving staff experience and retention.  It is evident from the WRES data that there needs to be some specific focus around cultural awareness, race discrimination and behaviours.

In addition, through further development of the data we will look to identify hotspot areas through the newly developed clinical boards and introduce intense Organisational Development (OD) support as necessary.

Key activities going forward include;

• People Programme Board – Our People Programme Board was formed to guide and ensure the success of the NHS People Plan and our people priorities, emphasising a cultural focus.  It drives delivery, identifying priorities and planning transformative initiatives in line with the Trust’s people agenda.  Key priorities involve workforce planning, culture change, supporting future-ready Clinical Boards and reshaping the People Directorate to prioritise people. 
• People Plan – Year 1 Action plan; – Developed, aligned to our People Priorities and assured through the People Programme Board.
• Civility Charter; In partnership with our Staff Networks and Staff Side colleagues we have developed a civility charter with the intention of embedding it across the Trust and the employee life cycle.
• Incivilities/Micro-aggressions training; Continue to roll out (and develop and improve based on feedback) training for staff on civilities/micro-aggressions, supporting the roll out of our People Programme and raising awareness of poor behaviour.
• Just and learning approach; a review ofHR processes, practises and approach are being prioritised to ensure an increase in autonomy and flexibility and a reduced focus on rules, violations, and consequences.
• Staff and patient experience; A focus on staff and patient experience, tailored to individual needs to improve staff outcomes and staff morale, attract and retain talent, nurturing a positive culture.
• Staff Networks; Through the EDI Steering Group we continue to work with staff networks on key projects to ensure all are mindful of lived experience.  An important part of change is changing attitudes and increasing understanding around impact but it’s also about improving the ‘experiences’ of minority groups within the Trust and the most effective way is to enable staff to influence the design and delivery of our People Priorities, providing an authentic voice and unique insights that challenge assumptions and motivate us to do things differently.

• Values based recruitment for senior roles; VBR questions will be incorporated into competency-based interviews with a recommendation that two value-based questions are asked as part of interview which are underpinned by other supplementary  questions for each value.
• EDI Improvement Plan; The NHS Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Improvement Plan contains targeted measures to combat prejudice and discrimination, both direct and indirect, manifested through behaviours, policies, practices, and cultures against specific groups and individuals within the NHS workforce.  The plan has an aim of improving the culture and equity and the experiences of our workforce. Additionally, ‘belonging’ is a key theme highlighting the need to address poor behaviours, reduce discrimination and ensure opportunities for progression are equitable. The plan supports the delivery of the Trust’s People Strategy.

Trust Board is asked to:

• Note the contents of this report.
• Provide approval to publish by 31 May 2024 on the Data Collection Framework website and the Trust’s website..

Report of Karen Pearce

Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (People)

10th May 2024