A Review of the Literature on the Experiences of Black, Minority and Internationally Recruited Nurses and Midwives in the UK Healthcare system (October 2016)

Summary

This report is divided into two sections. The first section is contextual and reviews literature, both national and international, that provides insights into the experiences of Black and Ethnic Minority (referred to in this report as BME) and internationally recruited nurse (IRNs). The second section focuses specifically on the literature related to health and social care regulatory bodies within the UK, and the reporting of professionals in relation to fitness to practise.

Content

Key findings include:

• To date, no peer reviewed, published studies of BME nurses’ and midwives’ experiences of the fitness to practise process have been found – although studies were found for other professional groups.

• Four main concerns surrounding BME and IRNs fitness to practise include: 

1. communication difficulties; 
2. differences in cultural knowledge and practical skills; 
3. issues of injustice – discrimination and racism; and 
4. lack of workplace support. 

• Evidence supports the proposition that BME staff are overrepresented in relation to fitness to practise referrals and are more likely to receive severe penalties. Factors related include place of qualification and area of practice. However, caution is advised in interpreting these findings due to fact that studies were often based on small samples. 

• In some cases, regulatory bodies are not collecting data about ethnicity which precludes any quantitative analysis.