BME Women into Public Appointments
11 November 2009

Did you know that there are three Asian women who head up NHS Trusts in the United Kingdom? These three women are Naaz Coker, Chair of St George's NHS Trust; Dr Robina Shah MBE DL JP who became the youngest Asian to attain the post of Chair of a Trust at the Stockport NHS Foundation Trust and Professor Soraya Dhillon MBE, Chair of the Luton & Dunstable Hospital Foundation Trust. These women represent the pinnacle of achievement in the NHS where ethnic minorities are over-represented in the workforce. Between them, these three women govern budgets of hundreds of millions of pounds, oversee the activities of 12,600 employees and care for nearly 2 million patients.

In his lecture to CEMVO last week (4 November 2009), Professor James Nazroo argued that health inequalities in the NHS could readily be overcome "The NHS directly employs more than a million people and, indirectly through subcontracts, many more. Ethnic minority people are over-represented in its workforce, so it has real potential to lead the field in relation to good, equitable, employment practices, and ensuring subcontractors meet these standards. Such practices could cover employment rights, holidays, sick leave, maternity leave, job security and flexibility, limits to unpaid overtime, and management practices that promote autonomy and control at work."

Black and minority ethnic (BME) representation on the Governing Boards of NHS Primary Care Trusts (Foundation Trusts and all other organisational structures) is critical to achieving much of 'good, equitable employment practices' that in turn would deliver better health outcomes for ethnic communities.

"They could also include financial benefits, ensuring a more equitable distribution of salaries across employment grades. The immediate and longer-term impact of this on the drivers of health inequalities is likely to be significant," James Nazroo added.

Public Appointments

NHS Trusts are a major part of the Public Sector: with nearly 18,500 Public Appointments each year to over 1,200 public bodies, this a market sector heavily dependent on talent, experience and skills. Most public bodies are led by a board comprising non-executive chairs and other Board members, and are categorised as Executive NDPBs (Non-Departmental Public Body); Advisory NDPBs, Public Corporations, Utility Regulators, NHS Trusts, Primary Care Trusts, School and Educational establishments, Conservation Bodies and other organisations such as the Charity Commission, Gambling Commission and Arts Council England. Types of Public Appointments include: Chairs, Board Members or Board Directors, Non-Executive Board Directors, Commissioners and Finance & Audit Committee Directors. The roles can be remunerated or unremunerated and most are likely to be part-time. The primary role of the Board is governance, financial control, providing strategic direction and risk management.

As at September 2009

• Women made up 33.3% of public appointees (women represent 51% of the UK population)
• Disabled people made up 5% of public appointees
• Ethnic Minorities made up 5.7% of public appointees (minorities represent 11% of the population)

In April 2009, the Rt. Hon. Harriet Harman QC MP tabled The Equality Bill, designed to make Britain stronger, fairer and more equal. The aim is that by 2011, 50% of new appointments will be women, 14% will be disabled people and 11% will be ethnic minorities.

"Clearly, this represents a significant opportunity for BME Women to adapt and learn a new set of skills by applying their own experience and talent for the benefit of the public" explains Mrs Lopa Patel MBE, Founder of Redhotcurry.com, "but we need to not only inspire them to apply for posts, but also to give a much clearer picture of what to expect and how they can ensure they provide the best return-on-investment for the taxpayer who funds the Public Sector".

Patel has been working with the 12-strong Hindu Council UK Public Appointments Taskforce and the Council for Ethnic Minority Voluntary Sector Organisations (CEMVO), who have sponsored the 'BME Women into Public Appointments' seminar on Wednesday 18th November 2009 in London where Naaz Coker will be speaking about her career and role as Chair of St George's NHS Trust.

For further information on CEMVO, visit www.cemvo.org.uk
Click here for Professor James Nazroo's seminar on health inequalitites. (Nov '09)
Click here to read about The Equality Bill (27 April 2009)
Click here to read about diversity in Public Appointments (17 June 2009)