White nurses are far more likely to get promoted than Black and Asian staff, according to a survey carried out by the Royal College of Nursing. The UK-wide survey of almost 10,000 nursing staff found the gap was greatest among those aged between 35 and 44. While around two in three White (66%) and Mixed ethnic background nurses (64%) had achieved at least one promotion at that stage of their career, only 38% of Asian and 35% of Black nurses had moved up the ladder.
The RCN says its biennial employment survey shows how “structural racism” is having a “devastating impact” on minority ethnic nursing staff in other areas too. The survey found that nearly four in 10 Black nurses (39%) had experienced physical abuse when working in a hospital, compared to 32% of White nursing staff, 27% of Asian nurses, and 34% of those from a Mixed ethnic background.
Both Black (32%) and Asian nurses (30%) had faced more physical abuse when working in a community setting than White (20%) or Mixed ethnic background nurses (19%). The RCN has now called on the government to use its planned reform of human rights legislation to ensure health and care organisations, regulatory bodies, and inspectorates are required to tackle racism, including in the workplace.
