Inclusive Recruitment

NHS England’s People Plan 2020/21 said that the Workforce Disability Equality Standard (WDES) has begun to “shine a light on the difficulties that colleagues with disabilities and long-term health conditions face” and that it is a specific problem within the NHS. The NHS People Plan Inclusive Recruitment said more than 14 million people identify as being disabled or having a learning disability or difficulty in the UK, yet the NHS only employs 4.6% of disabled apprentices compared with 10.1% in other sectors.

NHS England supports the aims of a voluntary Disability Confident scheme, which has been introduced by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) because people with disabilities routinely find themselves disadvantaged by recruitment processes even when these claim to deliver fairness and equality.