Black, Asian and minority ethnic nursing staff struggle more than their white counterparts to access PPE, a Royal College of Nursing survey has revealed.
Forty-three per cent of BAME nursing staff working in high-risk environments – such as intensive care – said they had enough eye and face protection, in stark contrast to 66% of white British staff, from 5,023 respondents overall.
Across all settings, BAME nursing staff are less satisfied with protection at work, with nearly a quarter (24%) saying they had no confidence their employer is doing enough to protect them from Covid-19, compared to just 11% of white British respondents.
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RCN chief executive Dame Donna Kinnair said: ‘It is simply unacceptable that we are in a situation where BAME nursing staff are less protected than other nursing staff.’
Over a third of overall respondents felt pressure to care for suspected or confirmed Covid-19 without adequate protection but 56% of BAME staff said the same.
The RCN has repeated calls for specific risk assessments for BAME nursing staff amid concerns they are at greater risk from Covid-19.
Dame Donna continued: ‘All of our nursing staff must have the protection they need, and action must be taken urgently to ensure they are all kept safe.
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‘We look forward to getting more answers from Public Health England’s investigation into the disproportionate effect of COVID-19 on BAME groups.’
Nursing and Midwifery Council chief executive Andrea Sutcliff said: ‘The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed deep seated inequalities for ethnic minority nursing and midwifery professionals.
‘Their experiences cannot be ignored and I hope this survey leads to concerted action by all partners across the health and care system to secure much needed improvements.’
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Mounting evidence suggests that BAME communities are at increased risk of Covid-19.
The survey ran from 7 May to 11 May. The RCN has already released findings from this survey earlier this month.
