Inclusive recruitment - five key learnings from trust leaders

Inclusive recruitment is a key priority across NHS trusts, with widespread adoption of evidence-based frameworks and targeted interventions.

The latest data from the Workforce Race Equality Standard underlines the continuing stark disparity between white and ethnic minority staff within our recruitment processes.  Ethnic minority staff are 1.6 times less likely to be appointed after shortlisting than their white counterparts - a figure which has hardly changed since the data was first published in 2017. This systemic inequality means cumulatively, a band six ethnic minority nurse is 25.7 times less likely to progress through to a band nine post than their white counterpart (Kline, 2025).  

The NHS equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) improvement plan (the plan) requires all NHS organisations to “Embed fair and inclusive recruitment processes and talent management strategies that target under-representation and lack of diversity”, as one of its six high impact actions. Failure to address this disparity has far-reaching consequences for staff and patients, limiting the ability to maximise the full potential of our workforce and deliver the best possible care given longstanding evidence that high levels of cognitive diversity within teams is linked to better outcomes (Page, 2017).

No More Tick Boxes (NMT) by Roger Kline, NHS England East of England and DeBias Recruitment Health and Social Care 2023 by NHS England are amongst two of the evidence bases being utilised by a number of NHS trusts to address the disparity.  In our insight conversations with trust leaders, we heard the key learnings they had identified whilst implementing initiatives on inclusive recruitment to improve outcomes for both ethnic minority staff as well as staff overall.

Here are our top five member insights on embedding inclusive recruitment principles.

Trust leaders told us that consistent, engaged leadership is key to driving progress in inclusive recruitment efforts, underpinned by a focus on EDI more widely to aid the embedding of core principles and enhance organisational buy in. Active involvement of senior leaders and the board reinforces accountability which is essential and models inclusivity.

In our conversations with trust leaders, examples of additional challenges were evident where this had not been considered as part of the inclusive recruitment workstream.

Leadership engagement at all levels was also emphasised, with several trusts rolling out EDI training to complement inclusive recruitment training, as well as leadership development and structured training for hiring managers, HR business partnering and training on EDI principles for recruitment teams.

The importance of celebrating success stories and consistent communication across channels (emails, leadership newsletters and blogs, and using the staff social media channel) is critical to encourage engagement and foster cultural change.

Sharing outcomes, themes, and staff experiences creates a compelling narrative to gain buy-in with changes to recruitment practices and EDI initiatives. Without consistent messaging and engagement efforts, inclusive recruitment initiatives risk becoming siloed, existing as standalone efforts rather than being fully embedded into the organisation’s culture.

Inclusive recruitment demands considerable time and resources, with a need for patience, perseverance, and a strategic focus. Employability schemes and training require careful planning to ensure long-term success.

There may be a need to prioritise roll out based on need and gaps identified through data analysis to help manage resource constraints. However, this can slow down the broader adoption of inclusive recruitment principles. Leaders should factor in the time needed for training and familiarisation with new ways of workings both for HR and managers and the consistent effort needed.

Data analysis and standardised tools can help organisations track trends and identify disparities; however not all trusts have capacity and/ or capability for this. Trust leaders spoke of providing up to date workforce data to senior managers by service area or department to embed local accountability by raising awareness of data trends and to support identification of issues that can otherwise be masked when data is solely reported at an organisational level. However, national-level improvements in systems like NHS Jobs and Trac are also needed for better reporting and insights.

We heard of trusts taking innovative approaches within available resources to engage underrepresented communities through social media, local and community radio, as well as the power of personal storytelling.

Trust leaders told us how they were utilising batch recruitment (a process of recruiting suitably qualified candidates for high volume roles such as registered nurses against a common standard, rather than to fill a single specific vacancy), and assessment centres to disrupt patterns of bias that can present in traditional panel interviews. Others were exploring a strengths-based recruitment model in maternity services, with plans for expansion following evaluation.

Cross-organisational collaboration and shared evidence-based practices strengthen implementation. Trust leaders shared the need for standardised templates, tools and processes to make embedding inclusive recruitment less resource intensive and to drive consistency.

Recruitment changes required close cross-department working but can face difficulties and become fragmented if not ‘owned’ at a senior level. Ensuring a collaborative approach to implementation signals to staff that inclusive hiring is not just an HR function but a core organisational value.

These learnings emphasise the need for committed leadership, robust communication, and collaborative efforts to embed inclusive recruitment successfully. While considerable progress has been made, ongoing challenges require strategic leadership, accountability, sustained investment, and cultural change efforts. The integration of data-driven decision-making, engagement with underrepresented groups, and embedding inclusion at all levels will be critical to long-term success.