Woke NHS trusts are paying more than £4,000 each to send senior managers on equality, diversity and inclusion training courses, we can reveal.
The scheme is run by the NHS Confederation, the main healthcare body, which regularly complains about the NHS’s lack of cash.
But it charges members, including NHS trusts and integrated care systems, £3,500 + VAT to enroll managers on its four-and-a-half day course.
It says participants will be helped to “build a national profile” for the EDI agenda and “collectivize their interests” to “influence decision-makers”.
The NHS Confederation last week published the results of its own survey of 560 chief executives, chairmen, HR directors and EDI leaders.
The scheme is run by the NHS Confederation, the main healthcare body, which regularly complains about the NHS’s lack of money.
It states that “100 per cent of board leaders agreed that investing in EDI is a key part of improving the NHS”.
However, a report commissioned today by Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch reveals that the majority of spending on EDI is a waste of money.
She said Britain’s diversity drive was “counterproductive” and warned that inclusion policies must not come at the expense of white men.
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt also used his Budget earlier this month to urge councils to cut spending on these policies and Rishi Sunak appointed a “common sense minister”.
Current estimates place annual NHS spending on dedicated EDI roles at around £40 million.
The Mail previously told how former Health Secretary Steve Barclay criticized NHS bosses for wasting taxpayers’ money on expensive diversity officers rather than funding frontline care.
However, a report commissioned today by Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch reveals that the majority of spending on EDI is a waste of money. She said Britain’s diversity drive was “counterproductive” and warned that inclusion policies must not come at the expense of white men.
He asked managers to stop paying fees to external diversity advisors and eliminate dedicated EDI positions or publicly explain why they think they are worth more than doctors and nurses.
Mr Barclay allegedly acted after discovering a hospital which was looking to recruit a “director of equality, diversity and inclusion” with a salary of up to £96,376.
Conservative MP Paul Bristow, who sits on the Commons health and social care committee, said: “I have never read an NHS Confederation briefing that does not call for more funding for the health service .
“I think taxpayers will therefore take a dim view of him charging NHS organizations to send their staff on one of his EDI courses.”
“This money should be spent on increasing capacity and reducing the backlog of patients waiting for care.”
It is understood that 12 organizations have registered staff for the latest NHS Confederation course, with each trust or ICS potentially sending more than one person each.
The course includes three days of in-person training and three half-day virtual sessions.
There is no additional charge for each additional staff member from the same organization.
Marketing material promoting the NHS Confederation course states: “Participants will be helped to build a national profile for the EDI program to tackle inequalities by identifying and collectivising their interests and coordinating an approach to influence decision-makers , based on direct knowledge of EDI/HI in practice.
The latest report on racial equality standards in the NHS, published this week, shows that the number of NHS staff from ethnic minorities has soared over the past five years, from less than one in five in 2018 to more than one in four in 2023.
Callum McGoldrick, of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “Taxpayers are fed up with public services wasting time and money on unemployed people and training.
“The health service is stretched in all directions and is fast approaching breaking point, but precious hours are being spent on unnecessary navel-gazing.
“NHS bosses must end ridiculous time-wasting exercises.”
Joan Saddler, director of partnerships and equality at the NHS Confederation, said: “We are committed to supporting our members to tackle inequalities, discrimination and to be as inclusive as possible towards their staff and local communities.
“Health officials have told us they appreciate this support from us and the evidence for why this support and other guidance is needed speaks for itself, with racism, misogyny and harassment permeating always society and the NHS itself being the most diverse employer in the country whose services touch every aspect of our lives.
“We will continue to act in the best interests of our members and provide all possible support to help them face and overcome these challenges.”