Image by Nicolas J Leclercq on Unsplash
Survey highlights concerns over discrimination, career progression and representation in senior NHS roles.
More than one in five ethnic minority NHS managers in England say they expect to leave the health service within the next three years, according to a new report.
Research by the NHS Alliance surveyed 950 managers from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds about their experiences of working in the NHS.
Almost four-fifths of those surveyed said they had experienced racism, exclusion or barriers to progressing in their careers.
Sir Ciaran Devane, the NHS Alliance’s chief executive, said: “We now face a very real risk of senior minority ethnic colleagues walking away, discouraged, disheartened and disillusioned. This also represents a huge loss of talent from the NHS.”
Participants highlighted concerns including a lack of diversity among senior leadership teams, exclusion from informal workplace networks and difficulties getting opportunities to progress.
A black senior manager said: “I am the only brown face at 99 per cent of my meetings at strategic and policy level.”
An Asian said: “There is a culture of nepotism. Although I believe I have the experiences, knowledge and ability to be promoted, the culture is too strong.”
Another manager, of African heritage, said: “There is a clear lack of diversity at senior levels and this absence makes it difficult to feel seen, supported or inspired to progress.”
While NHS leadership diversity has improved in recent years, with the proportion of minority ethnic members on NHS boards rising from 7.1 per cent in 2016 to 17.3 per cent in 2025, these improvements in representation had not removed problems around racism, exclusion and career progression, the NHS Alliance said.
NHS England have responded, a spokesperson said: “Racism and discrimination have no place in the NHS and it is completely unacceptable for any member of staff to experience them at work.”
The organisation also pointed to “new NHS standards requiring NHS trusts to take sustained action” to tackle the issues.
