BAME NHS staff have been told to ‘adopt western names’ by managers at hospitals within the UHBW Trust. Hospitals run by The University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UBHW) were subject to an unannounced CQC inspection in June which is what led to these shocking revelations.

Staff were asked by their managers to adopt names that sounded ‘western’ because their own names were allegedly too hard to pronounce. Diversity in the NHS has been improving in terms of numbers, but making BAME staff feel like valued members of the team is clearly an area in which there is much more work to be done.

UBHW has stated in response to the situation that:

‘We were concerned to hear from staff that they have been told by line managers to adopt a ‘Western work name’ as the pronouncing of their name was too difficult. This is not acceptable. Individuals can only truly thrive in a work environment where they feel safe as themselves and belong, rather than having to “fit in”.’

Bristol positions itself as a forward-thinking city that prides itself on diversity – it has recently been in the news for the toppling of the Edward Colston statue amidst Black Lives Matter protests and is renaming places named after people associated with the slave trade. This image of the city is largely true, but the situation evidently remains far from perfect.

The experiences of BAME staff

Harassment of staff by the public and patients has sadly increased during the pandemic; this has been the worst for BAME staff, specifically those of Asian descent. Back in February, a member of NHS staff in the East Midlands reported being harassed by a patient for his ethnicity in relation to coronavirus.

‘The trust, which has 375 Filipino members of staff, said it was “saddened” by the “appalling” incident, and added: “It comes as no shock as our colleagues regularly report similar instances. This simply has to change”.’

The NHS does have the power to stand up for staff who are harassed by patients. The rules have always allowed trusts to refuse treatment (to non-critical patients) if they are aggressive to staff, this was updated ‘last year to include any harassment, bullying or discrimination, including homophobic, sexist or racist remarks.’ It is a shame to see this needed to come into force at a time when NHS staff have been doing so much to protect the health of the nation, but it is good to see the NHS is striving to keep staff safe.

It is a tragic truth that harassment of NHS staff also comes from within. 30% of BAME staff reportedly experienced bullying from colleagues in the year running up to the most recent Workforce Race Equality Standard report in February 2021.

‘The NHS could not survive without the incredible contribution of BAME doctors, and we all owe them a huge debt of gratitude – and the NHS owes them a duty of care,’ Dr Helena McKeown, chief officer at the British Medical Association, said. ‘All staff must feel confident coming forward when they are subject to abuse or harassment, and must do so in the knowledge that something will be done.’

Diversity in the NHS

An internal NHS announcement stated the request for staff to ‘adopt western names’ was certainly not in line with trust policy and will be investigated. Nonetheless, this incident has raised questions about diversity within the NHS and whether their inclusion policies actually go far enough to ensure every member of staff feels safe and valued.

A report in July found that diversity within the NHS is at a record high while racism continues to plague staff:

‘Ethnic minority doctors are almost twice as likely as white doctors to have personally experienced discrimination at work from a manager, team leader or other colleagues, the Medical Workforce Race Equality Standard (MWRES) report found. Moreover, the shortlisting and interview process discriminates against ethnic minority applicants for consultant appointments, the study said.’

The study found that this discrimination begins early in their medical careers with BAME students less likely to get a place in medical school than their white counterparts. The report also found that BAME doctors are more likely to have experienced harassment from other members of staff and management in the last 12 months and complaints against them are more likely to be escalated to investigations. These findings highlight the urgent need for systemic change within the healthcare sector.

‘The number of people from Black and ethnic minority backgrounds working for the NHS is the highest on record, [yet] ethnic minority medical doctors currently remain underrepresented in senior positions, including at consultant grade roles and in academic positions.’

Although the number of BAME staff is increasing, they are not being represented in the board rooms. Those making the decisions still remain predominantly white and predominantly male. Amanda Pritchard is the first female CEO of the NHS in its 73-year history and while it is wonderful that a woman now holds this position the fact it has taken so long highlights the slow nature of progress within the service.

BMA council chair Dr Chaand Nagpaul said that ‘the Government should be embarrassed and spurred to action by this report’ as it shines ‘a light on the devastating scale and breadth at which ethnic minority doctors are being unfairly disadvantaged throughout their career’.

Summary

The request that staff ‘adopt western names’ is completely unacceptable and needs to be thoroughly investigated; we will undoubtedly report on the outcomes when they are made public. This issue is not an isolated one, but it stands as a stark example of the micro-aggressions experienced by BAME NHS staff.

It is important that NHS trusts put safeguards in place to protect staff and make sure that they are safe and heard in their workplace. This also needs to include protecting staff from harassment and unfair treatment from within the NHS itself.

If you’ve been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, The King’s Fund has put together a list of organisations that can offer advice, information and support.