The RHO Chief Executive has described the review as ‘long overdue’. The project is expected to last 18 months and is due to be completed in December 2026. It will explore differences in pay, career progression, pension contributions, and the potential impact on financial earnings between staff from different ethnic backgrounds.
Part of the aims of the project is to make recommendations to the NHS that will allow it to reduce and eliminate unwarranted inequalities where they are found to exist.
The RHO Chief Executive, Habib Naqvi said, “Pay gaps are unjust, unfair and a public health challenge. We know a motivated, included and valued workforce delivers high-quality patient care, increased patient satisfaction and better patient safety.
When operating at equal levels, doing equal roles, staff must receive the equal pay to which they are entitled, and should have equal opportunities for progression.”
The PDA BAME Network welcomes this report as it is already concerned about the pay disparity within the NHS. An example of this is when the PDA collaborated with The Equality Trust and found that locums from ethnic minority groups were paid approximately 10% less than those from white British groups.
Any change that can be made to better the lives and financial wellbeing of those in minorities within the NHS is a positive move to a fair and equal workplace.
President of the PDA BAME Network, Lola Dabiri said, “The most recent data from the Workforce Race Equality Standard shows that the percentage of NHS staff from minority ethnic backgrounds rose from 17.7% in 2016 to 28.6% in 2024, so this review is particularly timely. Looking at the root cause of the disparities in pay should unearth the way forward in proffering solutions. This review should just be the start of others that ought to look at every contributing worker as a person rather than a number, also taking into account Locums as well as employees. I hope that going forward, this review will deliver holistic improvement and better outcomes for all.”
Vice President of the PDA BAME Network, Ewura-Adjoa Yamoah said, “As a BAME student preparing to enter the healthcare system, I welcome this review and the impact it could have in driving meaningful change. Many of my peers will be looking to the NHS and inevitably striving for senior positions, but they are aware of the barriers minority ethnic staff face in progression and fair pay. Tackling these disparities is essential to ensure equal opportunities and to build a motivated, valued workforce that delivers the best care for patients. The outcome of this review will not only impact today’s staff but will also shape a fairer path for future generations entering the NHS.”
The review of the NHS ethnicity pay gap is the first-ever study on this issue within the NHS and will take place against the backdrop of rapid growth in the NHS’s minority ethnic trust staff.
Get involved
- Join the PDA BAME Network
- Follow the PDA BAME Network on social media using #PDAbame
- If you would like to get involved with the network and its activities, email [email protected]
Learn more
- Exclusive: ‘Unjust’ NHS ethnic pay gap to be reviewed
- PDA responds to disability and ethnicity pay gap reporting
- PDA concerned about unequal pay for pharmacists
- PDA BAME Network launches Anti-Racist Pharmacy Toolkit
Not yet a PDA member?
If you have not yet joined the PDA, we encourage you to join today and ask your colleagues to do the same.
Membership is FREE to pharmacy students, trainee pharmacists, and for the first three months of being newly qualified.
Read about our key member benefits here.