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Abstract
Progress in encouraging and enabling more black and minority ethnic (BME) staff into positions of leadership within the NHS has been slow. This paper reports on a project to develop a DVD in order to portray positive images of BME leaders and the contributions that they make to the NHS. Filmed semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 participants in leadership positions to explore their experiences, along with audiotaped interviews and electronic questionnaires with those who did not wish to be filmed. Sections of film were selected for inclusion in the DVD based on key themes. Participants described the positive influences, factors and barriers that had affected their careers. Self-motivation was seen as a key factor, while being able to cope with work-life balance was the biggest challenge for many of the respondents. Overall, most of the interviewees felt that they had achieved their aims and recognised that their success was due more to inner qualities than external factors.
Key words
Black and minority ethnic, diversity training, leadership, DVD resource
Community Practitioner, 2010; 83(12): 30-3.
Declared potential competing interests:
The DVD resource that was developed as a part of this project is sold for a fee, but this is solely to cover the cost of production and distribution.
Background
There is evidence that, despite legislation and initiatives to encourage black and minority ethnic (BME) staff into positions of leadership, progress has been very slow. Duffin (2008) remarks that this is linked to the 'glass ceiling effect' that prevents BME staff from getting into senior positions, and points to the NHS race equality action plan Deparment of Health, 2007) as a way forward to tackle discrimination and encourage fairness of opportunities. The main features of this plan include building race equality into performance management systems and tracking the career progression of BME staff.
According to Harris and Dutt (2005), having a diverse workforce that brings in additional experiences and skills to improve patient experience and care has an impact upon making organisations more attractive to potential recruits. However, they point out that advantages can only be realised if BME staff are in senior positions and motivated to challenge discrimination.
This paper reports on a Mary Seacole Development Award project to develop a DVD to showcase...