Senior Clinical Faculty Characteristics

This year we have piloted a survey of senior clinical faculty working within HEE, to gather detailed information about the demographics of this group. We received 945 responses to our Senior Faculty EDI form. The results are shown in the NETS section Characteristics of Senior Clinical Faculty above. This data provides insight at a local and national level to ensure we are attracting diversity in our senior educator roles and routinely monitoring this. Below, is our data followed by conclusions, actions and examples of existing initiatives.

There are several initiatives to support diversity in senior educator roles including In the North East where applicants with one or more protected characteristic were encouraged to apply and were appointed to a senior role. This was part of a Postgraduate Dean led recruitment initiative and resulted in our senior educators with one or more protected characteristic increasing from 50% to 66%.

Similarly, In the North West there is an initiative to increase diversity in the senior educator group.

Characteristics of HEE Senior Clinical Faculty This year we carried out a pilot survey to gather detailed information for the first time regarding the protected characteristics of our senior medical faculty. We saw brilliant levels of engagement in this from across England. We can compare the data for Senior Faculty with the data for learners in general. For example, we noted above that 7.2% of learners are gay, lesbian or bisexual, whilst only 3.5% of senior faculty identified with this group (more in tune with the UK demographic, but not necessarily representative of the learner population).

We are also able to compare the demographic data from our NETS survey with the data collected for the Medical Workforce Race Equality Standard.

The data shows a global under-representation when you compare consultants grouped as Black Minority Ethnic (as taken from the summary WRES data – source 2020) to BME staff in senior faculty roles, for example.

There is a need to prioritise and improve upon diversity of those in senior educator roles. This will help ensure our senior faculty better represents the NHS medical workforce including doctors and dentists in training population.

Local data is sensitive because of lower numbers but this is shared and has been considered in each office to help inform local plans. Local office variation does exist with some closer to the WRES data shown above.

There are also several indicators where faculty have chosen not to declare, including sexuality. Whilst we see this across lots of data sets, and appreciate individuals should always have the option not to declare we also want people to feel able to declare their protected characteristics.

Under-representation has been identified as a priority area with an ambition to increase participation.

Actions to support this will include:

• All Postgraduate Deans to consider their recruitment approaches as a result of this data (overall national and local data)
• A refresh of our approach to recruitment
• Showcasing how we use the data so that educators see value in them declaring their characteristics
• Whilst maintaining the option not to declare, encouraging a safe and supportive environment and system where individuals feel able to share should they wish to
• Continued review of the data
• Commitment to measure annually to observe any trends, changes and improvement in participation

HEE North East

There are several initiatives to support diversity in senior educator roles.

In the North East an approach of positive action as opposed to positive discrimination was taken. Applicants with one or more protected characteristic were encouraged to apply and were appointed to Role No 1 or more protected characteristic pre approach 1 or more protected characteristic post approach % Pre 2021Associate deans 10 5 50% Post 2021Associate Deans 15 10 66% a senior role on an interim basis. This made these individuals more prepared for application to the substantive role. This was part of a Postgraduate Dean led recruitment initiative and resulted in our senior educators with one or more protected characteristic increasing from 50% to 66% represented in the table below.

HEE North West (NW)

In the NW we wanted to diversify and strengthen our senior educational leadership team by appointing two Associate Dean roles. We wanted to broaden the skills and interests within our group and be inclusive for both protected and non-protected characteristics.

We had a stable group of senior educators who had a wealth of experience, however we wanted to attract early career educators who would hopefully bring further skills to the group.

We wanted to attract a wider group of potential applicants and as we considered that one of the blocks to early career educators applying was amount of time required away from clinical practice therefore, we created 2 sessions posts.

We also observed that historically successful candidates had often held senior roles such TPD/ HoS/DME/FPD and we wanted to encourage those candidates who may not have seen themselves as potential candidates.

We wanted these roles to lead on key areas of EDI and trainee engagement and the job advert highlighted that we wanted lived experience and evidence of prior interest in these areas and stated:

This role will have a specific focus on developing the Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion portfolio, as well as setting up a new Trainee Engagement portfolio. It is considered important that the post-holder will have lived experience or subject matter expertise relating to EDI and evidence of allyship. The post is aimed at early career educators, and therefore it is understood that a period of induction, shadowing and supervision will be required for some aspects of senior educational management.

The post was advertised by email to DMEs/TPDs/ HoS but also published widely through the local EDI network and senior educator meetings explaining that prior positional experience was not essential.

Before the interview interested candidates were invited to meet with a Deputy Dean and ten candidates were met individually to discuss the roles.

The short-listing process was via video presentation with candidates asked to present a 10 min video answering structured questions:

• What has motivated you to apply for this post?
• Using an example from your own time in training, describe a time when either:  You challenged someone in authority, or you felt unable to challenge someone in authority. Tell us about your views on barriers and enablers in these situations.
• How will your own lived experience during training support you in developing an EDI and trainee engagement strategy?
• These posts are developed with early career educators in mind. What benefits do you think these appointments are intended to bring to the associate dean team?
• How would your appointment support these aims?

Thirteen candidates applied for the post with eleven submitted videos that were of an extremely high standard. Six highly appointable candidates were shortlisted and invited to interview.

The interview was face to face and the panel consisted of AD/DD/Regional head of function/Lay rep. The interview explored prior lived experience and interest in the key areas of EDI and trainee engagement asking:

• Tell us about your consultant post, and what you have learned in it which might help in the role of associate dean?
• Can you think of a time when you had to work with someone you did not share a trusting relationship with?
• Part of the portfolio remit of these new posts is trainee engagement. What are your views on the benefits, limitations and risks of using trainee representatives? How could these be mitigated?
• Another part of the portfolio remit for these posts is EDI. In your video interview, we asked several questions relating to your own experience of training. Given that no one has experience of all protected and non-protected characteristics, how will you ensure that you are able to support doctors and dentists in training with characteristics and experiences which are different from your own?
• Have you had any project ideas relating to either doctor in training engagement or EDI that you might like to implement if appointed?
• As you know, these are pilot new-style associate dean posts, aimed at early career educators. What do you think the biggest challenges will be, and what strategies will you use to ensure you can deliver the role?

The two candidates who scored most highly were offered the posts and we are excited to be welcoming them to our team within the next few months. The panel was extremely impressed by the skills and enthusiasm of all six shortlisted candidates.

The new ADs will be supported by a DD and will also be supported by Clare Inkster the AD who has led and developed the EDI portfolio in the NW. They will be working in their portfolio areas but also supporting a mental health trust each a patch AD and supporting a fellow AD within the schools of Medicine or Surgery.

Roisin Haslett – roisin.haslett@hee.nhs.uk and Clare Inkster – clare.inkster@hee.nhs.uk are happy to be contacted for further information