Discrimination against gay and trans staff is undermining productivity, claims CEO

Tackling increased discrimination faced by gay and trans staff must be a priority for the NHS if it wants to maximise workforce productivity, according to the CEO of one of the service’s largest providers. 

Mark Cubbon, CEO of Manchester University Foundation Trust and chair of the NHS Confederation’s LGBTQ+ leaders network, told HSJ there is an “awful lot more” to do to ensure the health service is more inclusive.

A new survey by the network found that members had experienced higher rates of direct or indirect discrimination compared to the workforce as whole, while only 14% felt their organisation acted swiftly and appropriately to these incidents. A quarter of respondents said they had experienced homophobia while 20% reported encountering transphobia.

Mr Cubbon said: “[Some people] ask the question about, ‘why are all these things important’, with the breadth of the agenda that we’re facing across the NHS.

“As I’ve said, not only is it morally the right thing to do, there’s an imperative here for us all."

“It’s really important for the individuals, morally the right thing to do, and it’s really important for the taxpayer so that we can get people to come to work. We employ more than a million people across the NHS, and we want people to be at their best when they come to work.”

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Source: HSJ, 5 December 2024