Identifying and mitigating the impact of Covid-19 on inequalities experienced by people from BAME backgrounds working in health and social care

Prior to Covid-19, the NHS England Workforce Race Equalities Standard (WRES) found that BAME staff experience considerably greater levels of workplace harassment and discrimination, lower pay, less control and poorer working conditions than non-BAME staff [1]. Since the outbreak, these adverse working conditions have been exacerbated. BAME staff experience increased exposure to these workplace adversities, placement in more vulnerable positions, and disempowerment from complaining about deleterious working conditions. These ethnic disparities need to be addressed if we are to avoid the social, economic, and moral costs of excessive adverse mental health and occupational outcomes for BAME staff. Using a mixed methods approach, this study aims to identify ethnic inequalities in mental health and occupational outcomes amongst NHS staff in the context of Covid-19. We will incorporate an ethnicity module into the on-going NHS CHECK study (a national longitudinal study of NHS staff (www.nhscheck.org)). NHS CHECK data will be analysed to assess health and work outcomes of NHS staff within and across Trusts over an 18-month period. Additionally, interviews will be conducted with i) participants of the CHECK survey, ii) London healthcare practitioners (HCPs, e.g., nurses and healthcare assistants) who were interviewed as part of the Tackling Inequalities and Discrimination Experiences (TIDES) study before Covid-19, and iii) NHS managers and senior staff nationally. Findings will be used to develop education and training materials to support BAME NHS staff nationally through collaboration with psychologists (KCL Virtual Reality (VR) Lab), medical educators (e.g., Maudsley Learning) and equality and diversity professionals (Challenge Consultancy).