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This report summarises the findings of the WRES return 2021 against the nine indicators, covering the reporting period April 2020 to March 2021. It:

• analyses WRES trends covering the period 2018-2020 so as to better understand where progress has been made on race equality and areas for further action
• where possible, it compares the Trust performance against London and other Trusts nationally

The accompanying action plan identifies actions aimed at improving the experience of Black Asian Minority Ethnic (BAME) employees working in the organisation.

The Trust has been self-reporting on its performance against the WRES standards since 2018 and over this period has sought to implement positive measures to address inequalities in the experiences of BAME staff. Over this period, key areas of focus have included fair and equitable recruitment practices, positive action initiatives to improve BAME career progression and initiatives aimed at reducing bullying and harassment.

In terms of progress on the previous WRES 2019, there have been welcome improvements in some of key indicators in relation to BAME career progression, bullying and harassment and perceptions of discrimination.

The WRES data is drawn from NHS Electronic Staff Record (snap shot date 31 March 2021) and data from the annual staff survey 2020. Ethnicity data is routinely gathered at the point of recruitment through a process of ‘voluntary self-reporting’. Staff self-declaration is therefore important in enabling the organisation present a true and accurate picture of ethnicity profiles in the organisation.

Between 2018-2021, the numbers of staff declaring their ethnicity increased by 2.5% to 95%. There was a fall in 2019, due to data anomalies in transferring and recording ethnicity data for junior doctors (89.7%).

Over the last four years there have been improvements in a number of key WRES indicators as the Trust continues to implement initiatives to improve the working lives of staff from Black Asian Minority Ethnic backgrounds. Key areas of note are in BAME progression and appointment from shortlisting. Compared with the London and national average, our performance (although improving) continues to be below the national and in some instances the London average.

Between 01 April 2019 and 31 March 2021, the Trust employed 8584 people. Of this 67% (5,746) were from BAME backgrounds. Between 2020 and 2021 (March) BAME employees increased by 1.9% percentage point. Since 2017, BAME employees have grown form 59% to 66.9%. Over this period, the percentage of staff from White backgrounds has decreased by 5% percentage point. Encouragingly, in the reporting year, the percentage of ‘Ethnicity unknown/null’ reduced from 8-5% from the previous year. When compared with the wider NHS (44.9%), the Trust has a higher minority ethnic population.

Despite this significant increase in the BAME workforce, BAME staff continue to be concentrated at lower AfC pay bands with representation reduced in the more senior AfC pay grades.

The WRES data return disaggregates the workforce into Agenda for Change (AfC) bands 1 – 9, very senior manager (VSM). Separate calculations are made for medical and dental and Trust Board. The data breakdown is by BAME, White and ethnicity unknown groupings.

Between 2020-2021, BAME staff were over represented in the lower bands 2-7 (72%) in both clinical and non-clinical roles when compared with staff from White backgrounds (24%).

In terms of overall representation at AfC pay grades 8A – vsm, BAME representation increased from 44% to 46%. Within AfC bands 8c-vsm BAME staff accounted for 37% (clinical roles 2021) and 25% in non-clinical roles.

However, at the most senior grades in the organisation (vsm) BAME staff account for only 18% at this level for non-clinical roles. For AfC band 9, white employees account for 75% of this banding (unchanged from 2019). Significantly within clinical AfC band 9-vsm there was 0% BAME staff. Further work is required to redress this statistics. Furthermore, as 25% of staff in these grades have not disclosed their ethnicity, more work is required to encourage self-reporting on ESR self-service.

In 2020, BAME representation in the most senior AfC roles 8D and 9 fell significantly when compared to their overall representation in the organisation; to 22% (non-clinical) and  35% (clinical) respectively.

Over the last two years, BAME employees accounted for 54% of the medical and dental workforce, a 6% increase compared to 2020. The number of BAME staff in Consultant grades fell slightly to 1% (white at 44% and BAME at 45%). Again 11%, of staff in consultant grades did not declare their ethnicity. In terms of trainee grades, there has been a 9% and 13% increase in staff from BAME and White ethnicity.

In 2020, staff from BAME backgrounds accounted for 19% of the Trust voting Board members, compared with 21% in 2019. However over the last two years, BAME representation increased from 18% to 27%. The difference between Trust Board (BAME) and overall workforce improved by 8% to -39.7%. This positive movement in Board representation is due to the introduction of positive action measures. There is however more work required in increasing BAME representation in executive director roles.

Over the last four years Trust performance against indicator 2; has been variable and in 2020 this was 1.24 compared with 1.51 in 2020. Further analysis is required to better understand at what pay grades these increases are taking place. It is however expected that initiatives currently being implemented and roll out of the new EDI strategy will help to redress this imbalance.

Over the last three years, the relative likelihood of BAME staff entering formal disciplinary process (Indicator 3), reduced. In 2018, the figure stood at 2.36 declining to 1.4 in 2019/20, partly attributed to the introduction of the Employee Relations triage process. The 20/2021 data (which includes data during Covid-19 outbreak) shows an increase to 3.73 – higher than in recent years.  This translates to 27 of the 32 formal disciplinary cases related to staff from BAME backgrounds (84%). Proportionately, more staff from BAME backgrounds are involved in formal disciplinary action than White staff (1.4 times more likely). This compares with the national figure of 1.16 times.  The Trust will need to monitor this indicator to better understand the reasons for this increase so as to inform future actions. However this increase is due to the number of staff that fell under the ‘ethnicity unknown’ category in   2020 (employee relations) which skewered the data in 2021.

BAME staff are more likely to access mandatory training and CPD compared to their White colleagues. In 2021, the likelihood increased from 0.68 in 2018 to 0.84 in 2020. The London average for 2020 was 0.90. The Trust continues to use training and development as a vehicle for progressing BAME careers through positive action initiatives.