NHS still hiring ‘diversity’ managers at £76,000 a year, despite No10 pledge to crackdown on roles

By Liam On Aug 11, 2022

The NHS is still recruiting diversity and inclusion managers, despite a Government promise to crack down on ‘waste and wokery’.

MailOnline has found five adverts for senior equality roles at trusts across England, which pay up to £76,000 per year – triple the average UK salary.

Four out of the five roles offer flexible working, with some actively encouraging people to work from home.

One of the job descriptions says the successful candidate will be responsible for making staff feel ‘safe’ to ‘express’ their diversity.

The adverts were listed on various websites such as Indeed, Total Jobs and the NHS’ internal recruitment system between July 21 and August 5.

Critics slammed them as a waste of taxpayer money and urged politicians to ‘get a grip’ and ensure the roles are wound down.

The £76,000 pay packet alone could be spent on at least two NHS nurses, who make up to £37,000 annually.

It comes despite an order earlier this year by former Health Secretary Sajid Javid for the NHS to axe the positions and focus on frontline services and clearing backlogs.

There are concerns the NHS’ £12billion a year funding boost — raised through a 1.25 per cent National Insurance hike — is being swallowed by management salaries.

Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals listed a job advert for ‘Head of Leadership, Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and Wellbeing’ on July 21

Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation (pictured) said they wanted their head of diversity and inclusion to create a’ culture of inclusion’ where staff can ‘bring their whole selves to work, thrive and develop’

John O’Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said Britons would be disappointed Mr Javid’s commitment hasn’t been followed through.

‘Brits are sick of seeing taxes rise to pay for NHS diversity hires on bumper salaries,’ he said.

‘Taxpayers welcomed commitments to cut non-jobs in the health service, not least given the painful national insurance hike, and don’t expect bosses to continue pumping out these job ads.

‘Politicians need to get a grip and ensure these right-on roles are wound down.’

The continued recruitment of senior diversity managers comes as the NHS grapples with its worst crisis on record, with waits for routine care, A&E and ambulances all at record levels.

About 700,000 NHS workers, including frontline staff like nurses and junior doctors are threatening to go on strike over pay and working conditions.

MailOnline has approached NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care for comment.

Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals listed a job advert for ‘Head of Leadership, Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and Wellbeing’ on July 21

The ‘band 8’ role pays between £65,664 and £75,874, with the ideal candidate a ‘talented, enthusiastic, and motivated leader with great vision, energy, passion and ability to deliver results’.

Whoever takes on the role of Equality Diversity and Inclusion lead at NHS Surrey Heartlands needs to be a ‘champion’ who will make staff feel ‘safe’ according to the job description

NHS South Central and West’s Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Wellbeing Project Manager will be able to enjoy flexible working hours with most of their staff currently working from home

…And still the NHS crisis deepens

England’s emergency department performance plummeted to its worst ever level last month, with nearly 1,000 patients a day forced to wait more than 12 hours.

Latest NHS data shows that more than 29,000 sickened people queued for half a day, often in pain, at A&E units last month — four times more than the NHS target and up by a third on one June, which was the previous record.

Meanwhile, the proportion of patients seen within four hours — the timeframe 95 per cent of people are supposed to be seen within — dropped to 71 per cent last month, the lowest rate logged since records began in 2010.

Separate ambulance figures show the average wait for heart attack and stroke victims surpassed 59 minutes for only the second time ever. And waits for the most serious 999 calls hit a record high of nine-and-a-half minutes.

The NHS blames the crisis on so-called bed blockers — healthy people that can’t be discharged from hospitals due to a lack of social care staff — along with record calls from people with life-threatening illnesses and injuries.

Meanwhile, the number of people in England on the waiting list for routine hospital treatment hit a record 6.7million in June — meaning one in eight are now stuck in the backlog.

The NHS this week bragged that it had ‘virtually eliminated’ two-year waits, with 3,800 in the queue by the end of June. Health bosses say the vast majority have either chosen to delay treatment or are complex cases.

But the number of people forced to wait one year has hit a record high of 355,000. However, the health service says the number forced to wait 18 months has fallen by a third since January.

It comes as health service data leaked yesterday revealed that more than 10,000 people were waiting three months or more to start cancer treatment by the end of July. Medics warned thousands will die unnecessarily because of the disruption.

A description on the NHS jobs website says the diversity role involves: ‘Working with senior leaders to be a forward-thinking and inclusive people-centred employer which embraces and values diversity, difference and lived experience.’

The successful candidate will be responsible for leadership development, equality diversity and inclusion, wellbeing and organisational change across the trust’s three sites which employ more than 6,600 people.

Another position, for a Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Lead at NHS Surrey Heartlands, posted on August 3, offers between £47,126 to £53,219 a year, with an additional supplement for living in a high cost area.

This nearly double the salary of an entry level junior doctor, who earns about £29,000.

The trust said whoever takes on the position will be a ‘champion’ who will make staff feel ‘safe’.

Working from home is an option for this post, with flexible working ‘encouraged’.

‘Our EDI Lead will act as a champion, ensuring that developments across the system take equality issues into consideration as part of their everyday work and that individuals feel safe and supported in expressing their diversity,’ the job ad reads.

Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust is also looking for a ‘Head of EDI’, who will earn up to £53,000 a year.

The trust says it wants to create a ‘culture of inclusion’ where staff can ‘bring their whole selves to work, thrive and develop.’

It also boasts of a ‘generous annual leave entitlement’ and that it encourages staff to request flexible working.

Meanwhile, NHS South Central and West – which employs 1,300 staff across the south of England supporting 80 NHS organisations, advertised for a Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Wellbeing Project Manager August 4.

The salary ranges from £40,057 to £45,839, depending on experience.

And the new Equality, Diversity & Inclusive Engagement Coordinator at Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust will earn between £32,306 to £39,027 a year.

In most cases NHS hires start on the lowest salary within a band which then increases annually until they reach the maximum pay in that band.

Mr Javid’s commitment to stop the proliferation of ‘diversity and inclusion’ posts across the NHS came during the launch of a review NHS management by General Sir Gordon Messenger, published in June.

New Health Secretary, Steve Barclay, has yet to address his predecessor’s commitment since taking office on July 5.