Responding to a new NHS Confederation report highlighting black and minority ethnic leaders' experiences, the interim chief executive of NHS Providers, Saffron Cordery, said:

"This report exposes the unacceptable experiences endured by many NHS colleagues. Racism has no place in the NHS.

"The NHS is the country’s biggest employer of Black, Asian and minority ethnic people and we must eliminate discrimination in its ranks.

"It's truly shocking that more than half of the leaders surveyed thought about quitting the NHS because of racist treatment, with most respondents having been subjected to racist abuse.

"Nobody should be a victim of racism, bullying or harassment at work. Stamping out such behaviour is a priority for NHS trust leaders. Staff at all levels must be treated with dignity and respect.

"The Messenger review of NHS leadership underlined the importance of equality, diversity, and inclusion in establishing an NHS-wide culture where leaders feel equipped to deal with racism.

"Everyone – the NHS and government – must work together to do more to combat structural racism. NHS Providers' report Race 2.0 - Time for real change shows the scale of the challenge. To drive real change our race equality programme will support trusts by increasing their confidence and capability to tackle discrimination."