Work Based Learning e-Journal - Vol. 10 - Exploring Barriers and Opportunities to Black Nurses’ Professional Development

Oct 15, 2026

Findings from the lived experiences of black and minority ethnic (BME) nurses examining how barriers affect access to training and development programmes within the National Health Service (NHS) are presented. Prior research indicates that black nurses are less likely than white counterparts to be selected for development opportunities, undermining patient care quality. A conceptual model is proposed to support an equality framework, using a collective approach involving black nurses, NHS Trusts, and the Government to address persistent oppressive practices.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages33

Reading Time1 h 23 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Terminology and definition of discrimination

Types of discrimination under the Equality Act

Evidence gaps and the study focus

Work Based Learning e-Journal, Vol. 10, No. 1, (2021) Exploring Barriers and Opportunities to Black Nurses’Professional Development PETULA GORDON* GORDON WELLER And CATHERINE KERR Middlesex University, London, UK This paper presents the findings of the lived experience of black and minority ethnic (BME) nurses when applying to access training and development programmes in the National Health Service (NHS). Research has shown that black nurses in particular, are less likely to be selected for training and development programmes when compared to their white counterparts which can impact on the quality of care given to patients. Despite interventionsin place to promote equal opportunities, oppressive practices persist. A conceptual model of issues to be considered in the development of an equality framework has been proposed to help facilitate improvement in training opportunities for black nurses. The framework has been proposed on the basis that taking a collective approach to alongstanding problem to include stakeholders such as black nurses, NHS Trusts and the Government, may help towards improving training opportunities for black and minority ethnic nurses. Keywords: Training and professional development, Black and Minority Ethnic nurses, NHS, Equal opportunities, Oppressive practices. * Corresponding author [p.gordon@mdx.ac.uk](p.gordon@mdx.ac.uk) Work Based Learning e-Journal, Vol. 10, No. 1, (2021) Introduction The discriminatory practices towards black and minority ethnic (BME) nurses working in the NHS have led to the loss of valuable staff (Unison, 2019; Nadeem, 2019; RCN, 2017) . The term BME is normally used in the United Kingdom (UK) to describe people of non-white descent (Institute of Race Relations [IRR], 2017) . Whilst the term BME is used in this paper, the researcher acknowledges that the term is problematic as it conflates physical characteristics with geographical identity and fails to recognize individuality, which suggests that BME people are a homogenous group (BBC, 2020) . Additionally, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people do not share the same experiences therefore the term BME is not equivalent in its usage (BBC, 2020) . For the purposes of this paper, the socially recognised concept which is used to describe the term ‘Black’ is thus: In practice, it refers to persons with sub-Saharan African ancestral origins with brown or black complexion (Agyeman, Bhopal & Bruijnzeels, 2005: 1014 – 1018) . Discrimination has been described as the unfair and unjust treatment of a person because they possess certain characteristics such as age, race and religion (Equal Opportunities Commission [EOC], 2021) . The EOC (2021) argues that everyone is protected from discrimination by the Equality Act, 2010 (Equality and Human rights Commission [EHRC], 2010) as they possess some of the characteristics under the Act such as: age; gender; race; disability; religion; pregnancy and maternity; sexual orientation; marriage and civil partnership and gender reassignment. According to the EHRC (2019), there are three types of discrimination which are: direct, indirect and discrimination arising from disability. Direct discrimination refers to treating someone with a protected characteristic less favourably than someone without a protected characteristic, for instance refusing a student entry to education (EOC, 2021) . Indirect discrimination is said to have occurred when a policy may place someone at a disadvantage in the workplace. For instance, in the case of religion, a person who has to work on a day that they would be attending church would be classed as being discriminated against indirectly (EHRC, 2019) . Anyone who has a disability and is treated unfavourably as a result is said to have been discriminated against (EOC, 2021) . Work Based Learning e-Journal, Vol. 10, No. 1, (2021) Although a body of literature exists on discriminative practices towards black nurses within the NHS, research

FAQs

What problem does the paper address about black nurses’ professional development in the NHS?

It addresses discriminatory practices that reduce access to training and development programmes for black and minority ethnic (BME) nurses, which can affect career progression and the quality of care.

Why does the paper comment that the term “BME” is problematic?

It notes that “BME” can conflate physical characteristics with geographic identity and may treat diverse experiences as a homogeneous group.

What framework approach does the paper propose to improve training opportunities?

It proposes a conceptual model for an equality framework, emphasizing a collective approach involving black nurses, NHS Trusts, and the Government to reduce oppressive practices.

Oct 15, 2026

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