One of the clear measures of
equality is to be found in the profile, by protected characteristic, of those
in employment.
Being in employment can bring
multiple, potentially positive, impacts on the lived experiences of many people
who share particular protected characteristics.
It can reduce dependence on the less than generous state welfare system
and the increasing stigma attached to what little support is provided to people
who are jobless for whatever reason. It
provides the opportunities for those previously excluded from key areas of
society to be able to influence change and the future shape of societal
structures from within. Being in work
instead of being marginalised, excluded and discriminated against can also help
start to slowly foster good relations between those who erect barriers and
discriminate, and those who are discriminated against.
Scotland’s specific equality
duties, adopted in May 2012, recognised this and set a clear goal for public
bodies in Scotland. Amongst other
things, the duties required that public bodies gather data on their workforce by protected characteristic and use it to help them better perform their
general equality duty to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of
opportunity, and foster good relations. April 30th 2013 was the first date by which public bodies
were required to publish a report on their efforts in meeting this particular
part of the specific equality duties. Research reports providing data on that baseline can be read here.
In June 2015, new research captured data from Scotland's 22 health boards on what had changed in the 2 years since the baseline was published.
In 2013, the NHS in Scotland employed 12,079 Catholic people, representing 7.63% of the whole workforce. In 2015, the figure had increased, to 16,198 Catholics working in the NHS, representing 9.89% of the NHS workforce. Government data resources tell us there are 841,000 Catholic people in Scotland, representing 15.9% of the population.
The good, the bad and the indifferent health boards when it comes to the employment, or non-employment, of Catholic people can be seen in this table on the right. One can only guess as to the extent to which sectarianism plays a part of the reality that these data sets reveal. But then Scotland does not like talking about it, or even accepting that sectarianism has a reach beyond the football terraces on a Saturday afternoon.
You can read the full research report from which this table is extracted here.
While Catholics are clearly discriminated against in accessing employment opportunities within the NHS, disabled people seem equally blocked from getting into work with the NHS. In 2013 the number of disabled people employed across the NHS was 1,365, or 0.86% of the whole workforce. By 2015 the number had increased to 1,550, or 0.95% of the workforce. Government data resources tell us that almost 20% of the population has a disability.
The best, the indifferent and the downright ugly NHS boards when it comes to unblocking access to employment equality for disabled people can be seen in the table on the left.
You can read the full research report from which this table is extracted here.
Former First Minister Alex Salmond was fond of proclaiming Scotland as a tolerant country. Many who bought what he was selling in that ambiguous phrase also believe that racism is an English disease. As with Catholics and sectarianism, there is a lot of denial in Scotland on racism in employment. In 2013, Scotland's health boards reported employing a total of 4,378 Black Minority Ethnic [BME] people - 2.77% of the entire workforce. By 2015 this had fallen, to 3,923 BME people - 2.39% of the workforce. Government data reveals that Scotland has over 200,000 people identifying as BME, 4.00% of the population.
The great, the good and the awful of NHS boards when it comes to unblocking the racism which prevents BME people from accessing employment equality in the NHS can be seen in the table on the right.
The full research report from which this table is an extract can be read here.
Since Scotland put in place legislation on same-sex marriage, there are many who believe that Scotland has become some sort of Nirvana for people who identify as lesbian, gay or bi-sexual [LGB]. As with people from the protected characteristics already covered in this blog, the reality as defined by the employment data published by NHS boards themselves would suggest this is naught but a pipe-dream worthy of the Brigadoon 2 the former First Minister scribbled on the back of a fag packet and tried to get backing for in September 2014.
In 2013, Scotland's NHS boards reported employing 1,502 people who identified as LGB, representing 0.95% of the workforce. By 2015, this had increased to 1,998 LGB people, or 1.22% of the workforce. The context for these figures can be found on the Stonewall web site where they back government estimates that 5-7% of the population is LGB.
The sparkling, the dim and the downright dull when it comes to unblocking the path to employment equality in the NHS for LGB people can be seen in the table below left. The full report on LGB employment data from which this table is an extract can be found here.
NHS Scotland's failure to deliver employment equality for disabled people, BME people, LGB people and Catholics is as much a crisis as the blocking of beds is to the ability of the NHS to deliver clinical services to all. It is also right to point out that very little evidence is being gathered and published by the NHS in Scotland on whether discrimination is encountered in access to effective clinical services as much as it is clearly encountered in the recruitment culture and practices of the NHS.
