To think that the NHS has lost its way with EDI and it is not a 'strategic function?

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I have worked in the NHS for fifteen years. I am now in a sub-board leadership role and I feel conflicted with the value of EDI in the NHS.

Last week of the Health SoS wrote to NHS leaders to stop recruiting to dedicated EDI roles and do more to integrate EDI into everyone's roles.

The professional community have pushed back, https://www.nhsconfed.org/publications/letter-secretary-state-equality-diversity-and-inclusion describing these roles as strategically important to address health inequalities and promote positive recruitment and retention. However, is argue these roles are not strategic.

In my organisation, we've had a couple of EDI managers at band 8a (£50,952 - £57,349) over the last five years, but I haven't seen a change to how decisions are made or impact measured or monitored. What I have seen is a series of events, most recently for BHM. People attending these events appear to be the same people, middle managers who work at our main facility. It's rare to see any uniformed clinical staff, lower banded staff or occasions made inclusive for those working at off-site locations.

The broader HR team who organise the events make a lot of noise about them, but critically, they appear to be a circle jerk and tick box.

Does anyone have any examples of where these roles have made a genuine, sustainable and strategic impact in our NHS organisations? Should our approach be re-examined?

Don't know about sustainable impact, but our local Diversity whatever his role was called, was a really nice guy, and used to come out to groups of people who would be considered hard to reach to try and build links.

Like I say, don't know what the long term impact of that was, but he was trying at least.

The potential for claims of discrimination by employees, customers/patients/claimants and the public in general poses a risk to all businesses.

I agree EDI should be embedded in all aspects of an organisation and in particular the Public Sector Equality Duty should see all employers and managers in the NHS think about removing barriers and potential for discrimination.

The problem is most people see it as a box ticking exercise imposed on them rather than their job. This is very similar to Health & Safety and HR.

ED&I leads do need to contribute to the organisations strategic objectives and then how to help deliver them.

As an HR professional I have developed policies and delivered training sessions on specific elements e.g. reasonable adjustments, flexible working, family policies. All had EDI embedded with examples rather than a catch all phrase.

You do need an EDI lead at a reasonably senior level (so they are heard) but the vast teams that have been spawned are OTT.

Part of the issue is people attracted to EDI have often encountered discrimination themselves based on a PC and so are often slightly evangelical. They can also focus on the PC that matters most to them.