Key roles in the NHS are still predominantly going to men, though progress has been made towards its promised goal of ‘50/50 by 2020’.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) welcomed evidence of growing gender equality on NHS trust boards but said there much more to do to achieve a better balance.
A report by NHS Employers showed 85% of chief nurses on trust boards in England are women but only a third of non-executive directors are female. Although 42% of trust chief executives are women, the report said there are ‘disappointingly low’ numbers of female medical directors on trust boards.
RCN diversity and equalities co-ordinator Wendy Irwin said: ‘While this report makes strides in highlighting the differences of women on NHS boards, more research is needed to understand their diversity beyond gender and where discrimination is experienced by staff. It is vital employers make workplaces inclusive so we can make the most of the talent available.’
Across more than 450 NHS organisations, including trusts, arm’s-length bodies and clinical commissioning groups, the percentage of women on boards varies hugely, from 8% to 80%, with an average of 41%.
NHS boards in England need another 500 women. The overall number of women holding seats needs to increase from 2,500 to 3,000 between now and the end of 2020 to meet targets – an additional 125 per year.
The European Union Commission’s definition of gender parity is at least 40% of each sex on each board. So far, 53.8% of all the boards have achieved this, but there are still 209 boards that do not meet the target.
In total, 77% of the NHS workforce is female.
‘We still have a huge task ahead of us to achieve gender equality in the NHS,’ Ms Irwin continued. ‘It’s encouraging to see more and more female chief executives across NHS trusts and arm’s-length bodies. Women make up the majority of the NHS workforce and while female directors of nursing reflect their workforce, other areas must catch-up.’