Deep-rooted inequalities in medicine continue to impact careers and opportunities for ethnic minority and non-UK qualified doctors working in the NHS, General Medical Council (GMC) Chief Executive Charlie Massey cautions in a report published.
He says that such inequalities are not inevitable and calls on healthcare leaders and employers, who have not already done so, to step up their efforts to address the challenges.
The comments come as part of the GMC’s report on work to tackle discrimination and inequality in medicine, which includes an update on the regulator’s commitments to eliminate areas of inequality affecting doctors’ training and careers.
The GMC committed to eliminating disproportionate employer fitness to practise referrals of doctors from an ethnic minority, or who qualified outside the UK, and who are more likely to be referred to the regulator, by the end of 2026.
It says it is on track to achieve this. Latest figures in the report show the proportion of employers where data suggests excess referrals in relation to a doctor’s ethnicity or place of qualification has now reduced by 48% – from 5.6% down to 2.9% – since the initial benchmark of 2016–2020.
This has been achieved, in part, by initiatives including improved processes for employers referring doctors, and promoting mentoring programmes to support doctors who might otherwise miss out on such opportunities.
The regulator has also set an ambition to eradicate discrimination, disadvantage and unfairness in medical education and training by 2031, but progress against this longer-term aim is slower.
Charlie Massey said:
‘Fairness and equality aren’t simply matters of principle – they are prerequisites for productivity and translate to better patient care. Every doctor, no matter their background, must be able to work, learn and thrive in an environment where they feel they belong.
‘Our report shows we have a system moving at two speeds. Unmistakable momentum towards eradicating disproportionality in employer referrals, but limited, and in some measures absent, progress against our ambitions in education, which must be addressed.’
Across education and training, indicators in the report show significant disparities, with only limited signs of improvement in measures for UK-qualified doctors, or medical students, from ethnic minority backgrounds.
This is despite signs the gap is narrowing between UK and non-UK graduates, with differentials in specialty exam pass rates decreasing by seven percentage points.
Mr Massey added:
‘Inequalities in education and training can be difficult to overcome, and interventions take longer to translate into measurable outcomes. There are some positive signs, but where we can see something works then it needs to be scaled up.
‘If doctors face disadvantage early in their careers, or before they begin them, they are already on an unequal footing. Inequalities are not inevitable, but they can reverberate throughout a lifetime, and entrenched disadvantage will have far-reaching consequences for doctors, services, and patients – so we must all play our part across the healthcare system to tackle this challenge head-on.’
The GMC makes several calls to action for system leaders, employers and educators to act on the challenges raised, including:
- Prioritising equality, diversity and inclusion (ED&I) activity through proactive organisational change and workforce plans.
- Mandating the GMC’s free Welcome to UK practice workshops as part of an induction programme for doctors new to the UK.
- Monitoring and measuring the overall impact of ED&I activity and interventions.
- For the NHS in England, Scotland and Wales, and Health and Social Care in Northern Ireland, to develop and deliver anti-racism resources.
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