White nurses are almost twice as likely in some cases to get promoted compared to their Black and Asian counterparts, new survey results reveal, as nurses give weight to the data with personal stories of being held back from progression.
The survey was carried out by the Royal College of Nursing and involves responses from nearly 10,000 nursing staff across the UK, mostly registered nurses.
“Why do we trust ethnic minority nurses to care for us, but we do not trust them well enough to manage us or manage for us?”
Kelvin Ossai
It showed that White nursing staff and those of mixed ethnic background across all age groups were more likely than Black and Asian colleagues to have received at least one promotion since starting their nursing career.
The disparity appeared most stark among those aged 35 to 44 years old. While 65.9% of White and 64% of respondents from mixed ethnic backgrounds within this age group stated they had been promoted, this dropped to just 38.3% of Asian and 35.2% of Black respondents.
In the 45-54 age range, 70.8% of White and 82.4% of mixed ethnicity staff had progressed, compared to 48.3% of Asian and 53.4% of Black respondents.
The trends were similar when looking at overseas nurses compared to those who trained in the UK, with internationally trained nurses less likely across all age groups to be working in a higher pay band or grade compared to when they first started nursing.
While the difference was marginal in the 18-34 age group (45.8% of UK trained nurses being promoted and 45.2% of overseas nurses), this changed to 66.7% vs 44.4% respectively in the 35-44 age bracket, and 72.2% vs 59.2% among those aged 45-54.
The results, which were from a survey carried out in October 2021, were unveiled at the RCN’s annual congress, which is being held in Glasgow this week and where nurse delegates also spoke out about the issue of unequal progression.
“We all need collectively to fight for justice and we need to dismantle structural and systemic racism”
Estephanie Dunn
In a debate on the topic of inequalities, Funmi Olagbegi, a nurse from the South East region of England, said she had been told by a head of nursing that a band 7 position that she had applied for was not for “someone like you”, despite the senior nurse not having read her application.
She said she wanted to see the RCN use its influence to address the “lesser number of people of colour in leadership positions across all healthcare organisations, not just in the NHS”.
In the same debate, adult nurse Kelvin Ossai, also from the South East, stood up to raise concern about the shortage of minority ethnic and internationally trained nurses in leadership positions.
He said: “Nurses who left their family and friends, their far away homes, to work in the NHS, to save the NHS, to care for people, make up only a very insignificant proportion when it comes to managerial leadership positions and senior roles.”
Mr Ossai added: “Why do we trust ethnic minority nurses to care for us, but we do not trust them well enough to manage us or manage for us?”
The issue of career progression was also raised during the Mary Seacole Lecture at RCN Congress, which was focused on the findings of the Nursing Narratives documentary and research project into racism experienced by nurses during the coronavirus and before.
A shortened version of the documentary was played during the session and included testimonies from one nurse who was still at band 5 after 12 years in the profession, and another who said she “couldn’t progress” despite being a nurse for 15 years.
One Black nurse delegate in the session spoke after the screening about the difficulties she had faced in getting a reference when she wanted to move to a better job opportunity elsewhere, which appeared to differ from the experiences of White colleagues.
She said: “Why, if I’m not so important to be promoted on your ward, I’m not forcing you to keep me, why can’t I leave?
“On one occasion, my references were delayed for three months. And another NHS unit that had heard about me, wanted me, and they refused to give the reference, I had to fight for that reference.”
Likewise, a nurse who had moved to the UK from the Philippines said she had seen students who she had supported progress and become matrons, but when she applied for similar jobs she was rejected. She added: “I always ask myself, what’s wrong with us?”
Meanwhile, in a different session at the conference, the chief nursing officer for Wales was told how some Filipino nurses working in the NHS in her country had been held back at band 5 for more than 20 years.
Estephanie Dunn, RCN regional director for the North West, who was leading the Mary Seacole Lecture and is featured in the Nursing Narratives documentary, said: “We all need collectively to fight for justice and we need to dismantle structural and systemic racism.”
She called for a movement to “anti-racism” in healthcare organisations, warning that it was not enough to be “non-discriminatory”.
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