Ethnic Minorities and Nursing - Equality at last?

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The latest survey by the nursing regulatory body UKCC has revealed a higher level of nurses from ethnic minority communities than in the overall UK population.

The UKCC's first ethnic monitoring survey shows nurses with an African-Caribbean background topping the poll, followed by those from China or of Chinese descent. However, people from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh are still under-represented in the nursing profession.

So, does this mean that the NHS has become a real employer of choice, and does it show that proper equality of opportunity can exist if progressive employment policies are followed? Perhaps not. Nurses with an ethnic minority background are often under-represented in senior posts, and nearly 30% of black nurses are due to retire over the next 10 years. So much of the progress represented by this survey was achieved some years ago.