Taking time to talk
Advancing race equity in nursing and midwifery
Introduction
Racism is a serious issue in society at large. It permeates all industries and institutions, including health care. While progress has been made in some areas, we must go further.
We're making progress in combatting racism. We should celebrate that progress: how far we've come and how our profession has a history of bringing people together from all walks of life. Part of why the health care sector is so special is its diverse workforce. Our patients get the benefit of being treated by people with different skills, experiences, interests and talents.
But there's so much more that we can achieve. As part of our efforts to eradicate racism, we also need to focus on how we can actively advance race equity. That requires all of us to take the time to talk about race.
This resource gives guidance on how we can do that in nursing and midwifery by:
- breaking down the case for further advancing race equity
- providing information on some key topics at the heart of this pursuit and that all of us can talk about
- suggesting some key actions that we can all take to create a better health care system, in which opportunities are available to all
About this resource
This resource is for nursing and midwifery staff across the UK. It offers information, inspiration and guidance to help you personally advance race equity for yourself, your colleagues and the health care system as a whole.
To put this resource together, we:
- consulted key experts in the race equity field both inside and outside NHS England
- interviewed more than 65 people working across nursing and midwifery
- carried out research into the leading thinking on this topic
Of course, guidance on best practice for tackling racism is not fixed. Some of the content in this resource could become out-of-date over time. We aim to update this resource periodically, as needed.
This resource is not intended to replace RCN or NHS policies and procedures for speaking up and managing racism.
Links to RCN and NHS policies and procedures are in the appendix of this resource.
Sections in this resource
What do we mean by racism?
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines racism as a belief that race is a fundamental determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race. It also defines racism as the systemic oppression of a racial group for the social, economic and political advantage of another.1
What do we mean by anti-racism?
Dr Ibram X. Kendi, author and director of the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research, defines an anti-racist as someone who supports anti-racist policy through their actions, or expresses anti-racist ideas.2
In the journey to advancing race equity, not saying or doing racist things is not enough. We must actively strive to be anti-racist, which means finding ways to oppose racism and support or create equity.
A note on language
There are many different interpretations of what language should be used to discuss race. This resource uses language and terminology that are broadly accepted in both the NHS and society right now. But we recognise that this will change over time.
For instance, the term Global Majority is used to refer to people who do not consider themselves as, or are not considered to be, white.
This term can be useful because it is said to decolonise language: people who are not white are often referred to as 'ethnic minorities', although collectively they make up approximately 85% of the global population.3
If you think that some of the terminology used in this resource should be updated, please do get in touch.
Acknowledgements
This resource was co-designed and co-delivered by NHS England and SHM Productions, with support from the RCN. In particular, we'd like to thank:
- Elizabeth Carter, Nursing Professional Development Lead, NHSE
- Katy McDonald, Lead Professional for Postgraduate Development, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
- Memory van Beek, Head of Nursing for Professional Development, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
- Mohamed Patel, Deputy Director for Organisational Development, Oxford Health
- Paul Vaughan, National Deputy Director, Community Nursing and Primary Care Nursing, NHSE
- Wendy Irwin, Head of Equality and Diversity, RCN
A special thanks to the 65 NHS England staff members who dedicated their time to be interviewed during the development of this resource.
