UK health and care regulators unite behind shared anti‑racism principles to tackle systemic inequalities

Health and care regulators across the UK — including the General Medical Council (GMC), Care Quality Commission (CQC), Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), General Optical Council (GOC), Social Work England, General Chiropractic Council (GCC) and General Osteopathic Council (GOsC) — have jointly committed to a set of nine shared anti‑racism principles designed to confront and reduce the persistent racism experienced by staff across the sector.

The cross‑regulator pledge marks one of the most coordinated efforts to date to address racial inequality within health and social care. It follows mounting evidence that ethnic minority professionals continue to face disproportionate barriers in recruitment, career progression, disciplinary processes and workplace culture.

The nine principles — which include explicitly naming racism, valuing lived experience, strengthening leadership accountability, improving data and insight, and increasing transparency — build on the NHS Race and Health Observatory’s Seven Principles of Anti‑Racism. They were developed collaboratively following a UK‑wide regulatory roundtable and extensive engagement with professionals, communities and sector partners.

Regulators say the shared commitment is intended to drive consistent expectations across the professions they oversee, ensuring that anti‑racism is embedded in standards, education, regulatory processes and organisational culture.

GMC Chief Executive Charlie Massey said the principles represent a “clear and collective commitment to meaningful change”, noting that racism continues to undermine the confidence, wellbeing and performance of many health and care professionals. The GMC has already set a target to eliminate disproportionate employer referrals involving ethnic minority doctors or those trained overseas by the end of 2026, with recent data showing early progress.

The NMC said the joint principles align with its ongoing work to create a fairer, more inclusive environment for nurses, midwives and nursing associates, including reforms to its fitness‑to‑practise processes and efforts to address differential outcomes for internationally educated professionals.

The CQC emphasised that tackling racism is essential to delivering safe, high‑quality care, and that regulatory bodies have a responsibility to model the behaviours and standards they expect from providers.

Other regulators highlighted the importance of coordinated action, noting that racism is experienced across professions and settings, and requires a unified response to achieve lasting change.

The shared principles will be reviewed annually, with further organisations expected to sign up in the coming months. Regulators say the commitment is only the starting point, with each body now expected to embed the principles into its own regulatory approach and publish updates on progress.

Together, the regulators say they aim to create a health and care system where every professional — regardless of background — can work in an environment that is fair, safe and free from discrimination, and where the public can have confidence that racism is being actively challenged at every level.

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