Examples of good practice in recruitment and talent management for race equality

  • Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust has developed a workforce action plan to ensure that the recruitment and promotion processes are fair and transparent, and that their workforce is representative of the local population. The trust has established a race equality steering group and a race equality policy, as well as providing training and development opportunities for ethnic minority staff. As a result, the trust has seen improved representation in executive roles with an increase in the number of ethnic minority directors.
  • Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership has established board level engagement with the talent management agenda for ethnic minority people and this includes board members regularly attending meetings with staff networks and establishing aims and targets for deliverables in race equality.
  • Leeds Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has launched a positive action recruitment programme, reciprocal mentoring of the board, race equality training led by the ethnic minority staff network and an ethnic minority allyship programme.
  • Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Foundation Trust has launched its 'recruiting for difference' programme with diverse interview panels, career workshops for ethnic minority staff, audits of ethnic minority staff talent and progression (established talent boards for each division), a reverse mentoring programme for board members, a white allyship programme and positive action in shortlisting diverse pools of candidates is being used for medical appointments.
  • University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust has introduced an equality and diversity forum, which meets regularly to discuss issues and challenges in relation to workforce race equality including recruitment. The trust has also provided additional talent development opportunities for ethnic minority staff. As a result, the trust has seen an increase in ethnic minority representation in executive roles.
  • North East London NHS Foundation Trust has introduced measures to diversify senior recruitment panels including having a pool of interviewers while others are being upskilled. For very senior appointments there is the facility for the chair of the interview panel to justify their choice of applicant. There is also significant engagement with ethnic minority staff networks.
  • West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has established a programme for a board race equality champion to improve diversity in hiring and all board members are required to participate in reverse mentoring. All secondment and stretch opportunities are advertised widely to ensure ethnic minority staff are included. These actions are assessed and routinely audited.
  • Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust has developed a race equality action plan, which sets out a number of measures to ensure that its recruitment and promotion processes are fair and transparent, and that its workforce is representative of the local population. The trust has also implemented initiatives such as the race equality steering group, the race equality policy, and the race equality toolkit. In addition, the trust has provided additional training and development opportunities for ethnic minority staff.
  • Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has targeted recruitment and job advertising to attract more diverse candidates, as well as supporting a leadership development programme aimed at developing ethnic minority staff. The trust has developed an action plan to increase the representation of ethnic minority staff in executive roles, which includes initiatives such as mentoring and development programmes, career progression guidance, and educational and training opportunities.
  • University Hospitals Leicester NHS Trust (UHL) has been using effective evidenced based practice in recruitment and job advertising to improve race equality and representation in executive roles. UHL has implemented a range of measures, including the introduction of a 'name blind' recruitment process, and providing unconscious bias training for managers. UHL has also created a dedicated team to improve the recruitment and retention of ethnic minority staff.
  • Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust (RFL) has been using evidenced based practice in recruitment and job advertising to improve race equality and representation in executive roles. RFL has taken an inclusive approach to recruitment through introducing measures such as 'name blind' application processes and engaging with ethnic minority communities to encourage more applications from underrepresented groups. RFL has also developed an action plan to ensure all recruitment panels are diverse and have at least one ethnic minority representative.