NHS bosses are ignoring orders from Ministers to scrap diversity jobs by hiring dozens of new equalities staff on up to £91,000 a year under Labour. The Telegraph has the story.
A new analysis found that 35 equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) roles have been advertised since Sir Keir Starmer’s Government took power.
All but six of the positions allowed staff to work from home and some posts offered salaries of more than £80,000.
The 35 EDI roles advertised since July 5th are the equivalent of a diversity job every single week under Labour.
On Wednesday, Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, said the NHS must go “back to basics” and vowed not to let “ideologues” stand in the way of improving its performance.
Steve Barclay ordered NHS chiefs not to create specialist inclusion roles in 2023 during his time as Tory Health Secretary but the health service refused to follow his instructions.
Mr Streeting has not reversed the order, speaking out last year about doing “daft things” in the name of diversity, but the NHS continues to argue diversity jobs are “important” in achieving good outcomes for patients.
An analysis by Mr Barclay of the posts advertised in recent months found that the head of EDI at NHS North East London was advertised at a salary of between £80,025 and £91,336.
The advert stated: “You will be an exceptional leader with the ability to drive forward our EDI agenda and support us to develop a culture of belonging.”
NHS North East London went on to say it was “essential” for the successful applicant to have “significant experience of a senior equalities role” at a large and complex organisation.
Applicants for the head of inclusion post at the NHS Coventry and Warwickshire integrated care board were offered as much as £85,601.
The online advert said the successful applicant “must have a genuine passion for reducing inequalities and driving social inclusion”.
Those applying to become NHS England’s EDI lead – a job with a salary of up to £81,138 – were told they only needed to be in the office two days a week.
“Colleagues with a contractual office base are expected to spend, on average, at least 40% of their time working in-person,” the advert read. …
Mr Barclay told the Telegraph: “I’ve long tried to bring an end to dedicated EDI roles in the health service.
“They don’t represent value for money for taxpayers, divert resources from frontline needs, and seem more interested in pushing highly politicised ideology than actually improving care.
“Bureaucrats did everything they could to frustrate my DEI crackdown and now under Labour they seem free to recruit even more on eye-watering salaries, whilst at the same time experts have called the emergency care on offer to patients degrading and dangerous.”
The question is, if Government Ministers aren’t in charge of the NHS, who is?
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