The General Medical Council has published the fifth edition of its annual equality, diversity and inclusion progress report.
Professor Subodh Dave, President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists said:
“We welcome this important report which shows some progress has been made in tackling the discrimination, racism and unequal opportunities that affect far too many doctors throughout their careers.
“It is encouraging to see outcomes for doctors undertaking postgraduate specialty training in psychiatry are improving and at a particularly fast rate for internationally qualified doctors and UK ethnic minority doctors. These individuals are an essential part of the mental health workforce, and it is vital that this change is sustained and built upon in the years to come.
“We also recognise that more needs to be done to ensure similar improvements are made for new foundation doctors. The entire medical training pathway must be fair and supportive if we are to attract and retain the best doctors possible.
“The entire health sector has a role to play in creating tangible change across the board. In recent years, the College has developed guidance on Tackling Racism, Providing Reasonable Adjustments and a Retention Charter to support employer organisations to create more inclusive workplaces and retain staff. It has tackled differential attainment through masterclasses and supported better outcomes in exams with significant equity-related work taking place across Professional Standards, international programmes and leadership functions. Many of these efforts have been co-produced or led by resident doctors and SAS doctors, including the IMG Charter, You Are Not Alone podcast series and CASC masterclasses.
“We will continue to prioritise these efforts and work with educators, employers and other stakeholders to deliver the best outcomes for our current and future doctors.”
For further information, please contact:
- Email: press@rcpsych.ac.uk
- Out-of-hours contact number: 07860 755896