Nobody wastes money like ‘our’ woke NHS

Tuesday blog

On BBC Breakfast this morning, the news that ‘our’ NHS needs another 50,000 nurses. This is a bit odd in that data published on 30 November 2023 by NHS England shows there were 51,245 additional nurses in September 2023 compared to 2019. Though slightly worrying is the fact that 93% of the net increase in NHS nurses came from international recruitment rather than domestic training. Why that is worrying is the issue of widespread corruption in the testing of would-be nurses’ medical knowledge and English language skills to be allowed to practice in Britain. Nigeria, India and Crapistan are believed to be the countries where this corruption may be the rule rather than the exception.

But anyway, that’s not the point of today’s blog. Despite the latest report of the need for more nurses, the NHS seems to be enthusiastically recruiting ever more DIE (Diversity, Inclusion and Equality) officers and managers.

A week or so ago there was a recruitment ad for an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Officer at Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust to join the DIE team on a salary of £32,073 – £39,043 a year.

And today, we learn that Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust is looking for a Head of Equality, Diversity & Inclusion. This vital individual will be paid £79,504 – £91,609 a year.

Here are the duties of this (IMHO) expensive waste of skin:

Are you passionate about creating meaningful change and helping to build a truly inclusive healthcare organisation?

Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust is seeking an exceptional and innovative leader to join us as our new Head of Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (Staff and Patients). This is a rare opportunity to shape and drive our ambitious inclusion agenda at a pivotal point in the Trust’s improvement journey.

Working alongside Executive Directors, senior clinical leaders, staff networks, patients and system partners, you will lead the development and delivery of a Trust-wide approach to equality, diversity and inclusion that improves both workforce experience and patient outcomes. You will play a key role in influencing organisational culture, reducing health inequalities, improving inclusion and supporting a safe, respectful environment for our staff and patients.

As our senior EDI lead, you will have the opportunity to influence strategic decision-making at Board level, drive measurable improvements across the organisation and leave a lasting legacy for our staff, patients and local communities. If you are an inspiring leader who can turn ambition into action, this is an exciting opportunity to make a real difference in a progressive and forward-thinking NHS organisation.

Note that in both these ads there is mention of “DIE teams”. So there must be several individuals in each organisation dedicating their ‘working’ lives to increasing DIE in the NHS rather than improving patient care.

Nobody knows how to waste our money like ‘our’ NHS.