NHS Employers Strategic Forum Meeting
The use of a UN accountability framework to
address gender equality
Dr Penny Newman
Medical Director, Norfolk Community Health and Care
Associate, Health Education England
First wave CCGs
Women doctors career progression
General
Practice
? ?
26%CCG
leaders
41% of GP
Partners
70% of salaried GPs
Hospital
24% of
MDs
33% of
Consultants
43% of SAS*
doctors
67% of GP registrars 53% of Registrars
Women 57% of medical students
Source: HSJ Womens issue 2013, Heath and Social Care Information Centre 2013, NHS England 2013 Clinical
Commissioning Group Workforce Equality and Diversity Profile
Women predominate at middle and lower levels in
the NHS
• Bands 8a-9 (senior clinical and managerial) - 31% men and 69%
women
• Bands 5-7 - 17% men and 83% women
• Bands 1-4 - 19% men and 81% women
Women in ‘top jobs’
NHS
- 24% MDs
- 26% GP
CCG leads
(15% all
male)
- 26% DoFs
- 36% CEOs
Source: BBC (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18187449)
Barriers – “cumulative disadvantage”
Individual
Organisational
Mindset
Contract
Role models
Part-time roles
Childcare
Structural
and role
conflict
Organisational mind-set
The problem is not access to medical school but how we ensure that the female
medical workforce is able to fulfil its potential once in employment. Baroness Deech
October 2009
The business case for increasing the number of women on corporate boards is clear.
When women are so under-represented on corporate boards, companies are missing
out..... Lord Davies February 2011
The gap matters not only because of the familiar glass
ceiling is unfair, but also because the world has an increasingly urgent
need for more leaders. All men and women with brains, the desire
and perseverance to lead should be encouraged to fulfil their
potential.
I have seen myself what women, often in the toughest circumstances, can achieve for
their families and societies if they are given the opportunity. The strength, industry
and wisdom of women remain humanity’s greatest untapped resource. We simply
cannot afford to wait another 100 years to unlock this potential. UN Women Director
Michelle Bachelet March 2011
Five Year Forward View: creating a modern
workforce
• Commitment to “radically alter the way we plan and train our
workforce”
• “supporting the health and wellbeing of frontline staff; providing safe,
inclusive and non-discriminatory opportunities; and supporting
employees to raise concerns”
• “primary care is entering the next stage of its evolution. As GP
practices are increasingly employing salaried and sessional doctors,
and as women now comprise half of GPs, the traditional model has
been evolving".
Advancing women in medicine: Kings Fund, 16th
December
Would the UN accountability framework be useful?
• Accountability: UN organisations have a policy and plan for
themselves and their programmes and report
• Oversight: Programmes are analysed for gender
• Resources: Sufficient allocated resources, policies, architecture and
tracking in place
• Capacity: Mandatory training on gender
• Coherence: Participation in networks and communications
15 indicators established in 2012 across 62 organisations, and 90%
reporting.
Interviews with 12 senior leaders - Does it matter?
Yes - workforce majority
No
• Improved board and financial performance
• Individual expertise vs gender
• Fish from the whole talent pool / improve the
pipeline
• No longer held back – much
improved
• Balanced leadership reflecting society
• New leadership styles and behaviours e.g.
collaborative and distributed style required by
system leaders
• Thought diversity leading to more innovation,
better decision making
• Address problems with recruitment and
retention, pay gap
• Return on investment and increased
productivity
• Meeting global legislative requirements
Could gender equality
help address the big
issues – quality,
productivity and system
leadership? Yes
Is gender a priority?
• Advantages and disadvantages of a sole focus on women
• Discomfort over positive discrimination: double jeopardy
• A priority, but mixed sense of urgency, no guiding coalition
• Better framed as a business case and/or equality issue?
• Actions focused at system, organisational (board) and individual level
• UN accountability framework useful contribution; NHS needs to
develop its own
50:50 goal, senior champion (s), task
force and strategy
Developing
consensus
on action
- Review of leadership:
what's valued
- Board development
- Women only
programmes
- Coaching & sponsorship
NHS senior level
commitment
Leadership
Accountability
framework
Measurement
Enablers
- HR policies inc talent
management, flexible
working, appointment
panels/shortlists, returner
schemes, bias awareness
training, infrastructure
e.g. crèches,
- Showcasing
- Investment
Identify gaps, good
practice and monitor
improvements
Next steps?
[email protected]
Mobile 07900560224