Your BMA: culture

At the conclusion of this year’s BMA annual representative meeting held in Belfast last month, I spoke to representatives about the desperate need to change behaviours and culture among elected members of the BMA. 

During the two-day event I experienced challenging behaviour, which was different from the experience of my white, male colleagues on our senior leadership team. And, as reported in the media, one or two members chose to disrupt a speech by a Jewish doctor who was speaking out in defence of the Palestinian community in Gaza. 

Problematic behaviours are not new to the BMA and ARM but I’ve been involved since 2013 – from being on the joint agenda committee to being representative body chair – and, in my opinion, these issues are growing worse. Meeting in a large group after a long time apart and debating issues, which we are all passionate about can get the better of people.

While these problems are not unique to the BMA, we do want the BMA to be unique. We want the BMA to be unique in how welcoming it is, how understanding and thoughtful it is and in how diverse it is. 

The BMA is doing everything it can to stop behaviours escalating – we have an independent code of conduct and resolution process, and we offer management and leadership training, mentorship training and active-bystander training to our thousands of elected members.

We also know there is an inherent problem in the NHS when it comes to sexism, racism, ableism and homophobia and transphobia. We know the NHS is often a toxic working environment – it is overflowing with these issues.

Our BMA membership is approaching 200,000 members so it makes sense that some of these same themes would be apparent in our organisation. It would be naÏve to think otherwise – to think that as soon as people walk through our doors those problems are magically going to stop. 

We also have a problem when it comes to elections. We know women, people from ethnic-minority backgrounds and other marginalised and under-represented groups are less likely to stand. But we also know, if they do stand, they have a slimmer chance of getting elected. We have tried to change this and have moved the dial in some ways but we must press on.

Behaviours have often been deeply challenging for me personally, in this role. And it is not just at ARM. I have had two children while in this position and I have sacrificed a lot to do the best job I can. After my second pregnancy I returned to BMA work after just a month – and even in that month I attended meetings and responded to emails.

I didn’t want the pressure of my role and responsibility to fall on others and the association supported me to do this. But in some of those meetings – with a baby of just a few weeks old strapped to me in a sling – I experienced people raising their voices at me, moving close to the screen on Teams calls in an intimidating fashion and, during difficult conversations about governance and processes, words such as ‘disgusting’ were used to describe me. 

The truth is, the BMA can do everything in its power to drive change – the processes we’ve put in place, actively calling people out, and considering quotas and ARM referees will all make a difference – but first and foremost it is the behaviour of members that needs to change.

We must be better – from how we vote to how we speak to peers and colleagues. We must be better so the BMA can advocate for our profession, patients and society as powerfully as possible.

To get in touch, write to me at RBChair@bma.org.uk or @DrLatifaPatel

Dr Latifa Patel is chair of the BMA representative body