Hunter Healthcare put people at the centre of everything we do, working with the health and care sector to ensure that the best available people serve on their boards and in other leadership positions. To ensure that we are able to do this effectively, we regularly undertake research projects that help us to understand how we can do better and publish our learning so that improvement can be a shared endeavour.
Two years ago, we published the first report in our “The Way Forward” series, focusing on the experience of Black, Asian and ethnic minority NEDs in the NHS. We have now completed the second report in the series, which looks at the experience of disabled people serving as Chairs and NEDs in the NHS, a copy of which is enclosed.
Working in partnership with the Disabled NHS Directors Network (DNDN) we developed a series of questions that we posed to the disabled NED community in a combination of questionnaires and one – to – one conversations. Their responses paint a picture of life as a disabled NED in the NHS today: up and down the country, disabled NEDs are making a significant contribution to the leadership of the NHS, but it is clear that not all are receiving the support they need and to which they have a legal right. To address this and a number of other issues that are holding back disabled NEDs, our report identifies 16 recommendations / and or best practice that will promote NED roles to disabled people, improve their experience as candidates for NED roles and enable and support disabled NEDs to give their best to these important roles.
We have called this series of reports “The Way Forward” because they identify the change needed to create the conditions in which a diverse community of NEDs will thrive and fully contribute to the NHS today and in the future. We hope our research is both helpful and informative. But we also want it to make a difference – we invite you to be part of that change: learn from the experience of disabled NEDs; review the recommendations and best practice identified and show your organisation the way forward.
