The Gender Pay Gap

What we learnt

The Independent review into gender pay gaps in medicine in England was published by DHSC in Dec 2020. There is a significant and substantial gender pay gap in medicine. The review was commissioned to understand the basis for this gap and how the NHS can take a coordinated approach to address it. The review provides analysis of the causes of the gender pay gap in medicine and offers solutions. The review makes 47 recommendations under seven main themes addressing the structural and cultural barriers affecting the female medical workforce. The review recognises causes are multiple and complex, so will be challenging to resolve.

Following an initial pause due to the pandemic, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) began work in July with key delivery partners on actions to address priority recommendations. HEE is named as a delivery partner in nine recommendations and is actively engaged in the Gender Pay Gap work programme by rolling out a range of initiatives. For example, opening flexible work opportunities for everyone and encouraging men as well as women to use them is one of the report’s main recommendations.  HEE aims to address this by increasing flexibility in postgraduate medical training to support men and women to work more equally. A key initiative is HEE’s work to provide trainees across all specialties with the opportunity to undertake a period of Less Than Full Time training for personal choice (known as Category 3 Less Than Full Time Training).

What we will do

HEE will build on its commitment in addressing the disparities in the Gender Pay Gap report by asking all HEE lead employers to report on ethnicity and gender pay gap, for doctors in training, on annual basis to give an English overview. This will also allow HEE to consider the impact of any intersectionality.