BMA: Racism in medicine (15 June 2022)

Summary

This report presents the findings of the British Medical Association (BMA) racism in medicine survey, which ran from October to December 2021. The survey sought to gather evidence of the racism experienced by doctors and medical students working in the NHS, and the impact of these experiences on their working lives and their career opportunities. All doctors and medical students in the UK, from all ethnic backgrounds, were invited to participate. The survey received 2030 responses in total, making it one of the largest of its kind. It found a concerning level of racism in the medical profession, stemming from fellow doctors, other NHS staff, and patients. These experiences of racism present in a variety of forms in the institutions and structures of the medical profession

Content

Key findings:

• Racism is widespread within the medical workforce. Over three quarters (76%) of respondents experienced racism in their workplace on at least one occasion in the last two years. Of these, 17% experienced racist incidents on a regular basis. Experiences of racism included discriminatory comments, being given fewer opportunities, more scrutiny of work, bullying by patients and colleagues, continued mispronunciation of names, and social exclusion.
• Overseas qualified doctors experience racism more often than doctors trained in the UK. 84% of respondents who qualified overseas said they had experienced racist incidents in their workplace in the last two years, compared to 69% of respondents who trained in the UK. Respondents who had qualified overseas were twice as likely to think that racism was a barrier to their career progression than those who had qualified in the UK (60% compared to 27%).
• Experiences of racism are significantly under-reported. 71% of respondents who personally experienced racism chose not to report this to anyone. The most common reasons given by respondents for not reporting experienced incidents were not having confidence that the incident would be addressed (56%) and being worried about being perceived as a troublemaker (33%). For those who did report, the most common outcome reported was that no action was taken (41%).
• Reporting experiences of racism results in backlash. Of those who had reported experiences of racism, nearly 6 in 10 total respondents (58%) said that doing so had a negative impact on them. Negative impacts described included being viewed as a troublemaker, being made to feel like the report was an overreaction, being overlooked for progression opportunities, and being made to feel like the incident was their fault.
• Racism has an impact on career progression for many doctors. Six in ten (60%) of respondents from Asian backgrounds, 57% from Black backgrounds, 45% from Mixed backgrounds, 36% from White non-British backgrounds, and 58% from all other backgrounds said they felt racism had been a barrier to their career progression, compared to 4% of White British respondents.
• Experiences of racism are affecting doctors’ confidence and mental and physical wellbeing. Six in ten respondents (60%) said that the racism they had experienced had negatively impacted their wellbeing. Respondents detailed a range of negative impacts including depression and anxiety, increased stress levels, lowered confidence and self-esteem, sleep issues, worsened physical health, and feelings of demotivation, frustration, and anger.
• Many doctors are considering leaving or have left their jobs because of racial discrimination. Almost a quarter of respondents (23%) said they had considered leaving a job because of racial discrimination and a further 9% said they had actually left a job.