One of the chiefs of the National Heath Service in England said they need to do more to tackle “white privilege” and increase diversity among senior managers and directors on Tuesday,
The chief executive of the Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Trust, Sarah-Jane Marsh, brought up to Sky News the lack of diversity among the senior staff because it could mean not having the best possible staff, according to her.
Thank you to @SkyNews for giving this important issue greater visibility.If our leadership does not represent those we serve then we are lesser for it – and Birmingham is one of the most diverse cities in the world. https://t.co/ZsAr8vTrva
— Sarah-Jane Marsh (@BWCHBoss) May 29, 2018
Marsh said to Sky News, “I think there is white privilege, I think there are people having unconscious bias, there are people coming to interview and not performing because they see a panel in front of them that does not believe in diversity, and I want to do something to change that.”
She went as far to say that she will not sit on any interview board panels if it does not include any minorities. She made this decision after being confronted with the fact that ethnic minority candidates were statistically less likely to succeed during the interviews at her own trust.
Marsh said that she knows, “that in the NHS we have got a problem with ensuring that we have the right people in leadership positions to represent the diversity of our workforce.”
And for those who disagree, I genuinely respect your views but am left wondering how you believe white people have come to be 1.5 times better than those from a BAME background at every job in the NHS.
— Sarah-Jane Marsh (@BWCHBoss) May 29, 2018
She also added that, “The Workforce Race Equality Scheme data tells us that white people are more likely to be appointed at interview than black people, and in my own organisation they are twice as likely to be appointed.”