Disabled doctors do not receive required support, finds survey

Employers in the health service are failing to meet their statutory duties around supporting disabled doctors in the workplace, a BMA investigation reveals.

NHS workplaces across the UK are not doing enough to ensure disabled doctors receive reasonable adjustments necessary to enable them to work, or to implement measures such as disability-leave policies adequately.

The findings, which are being published to coincide with the IDPwD (International Day of Persons with Disabilities), are a result of a series of FoIs (Freedom of Information) requests submitted by the BMA to every one of the UK’s 224 NHS trusts and health boards.

Under the 2010 Equality Act, employers have a statutory duty to provide reasonable adjustments to the working environment and to policies and processes in the workplace which might otherwise disadvantage disabled staff.

Through its investigation, the BMA found just 44 per cent of the 166 organisations responding to the FoI had standalone reasonable adjustment policies, with the remainder either having diffuse or no policies.

Nineteen per cent of organisations confirmed they had a centralised budget for providing reasonable adjustments, with only 14 per cent possessing a centralised process in which disabled staff could request and receive adjustments.

The association’s investigation also found just 22 per cent of responding organisations confirmed they recorded staff disability-related absences separately from sick leave, despite this approach being promoted as good practice by the BMA and others.

Meanwhile, 24 per cent of employers said they had adopted a standalone disability leave policy in their workplace, while just 21 per cent of organisations willing to offer paid disability leave having official policy to support this arrangement.

Other concerning findings from the BMA’s investigation include the fact that 17 NHS trusts in England continue to use the Bradford Factor, contrary to recommendations made by the Equality and Human Rights Commission and NHS Employers.

The Bradford Factor, a system used by human resources departments for monitoring workplace absences, is regarded as potentially discriminatory since its methodology does not adequately take into account absences resulting from underlying health conditions or disability.

The association’s investigation was in part prompted by existing policies around disability in the workplace.

These include a requirement for all health service employers to abandon the use of the Bradford Factor and for all workplaces to employ disability champions to support the career progression and wellbeing of staff with disabilities or long-term medical conditions.

The BMA’s FoIs reveal that, while 90 per cent of employers said they had staff networks open to disabled doctors, only 12 per cent had employed staff in paid roles to provide dedicated support to disabled doctors and healthcare staff.

In light of the findings from its investigation, the BMA is calling on health service employers to improve the level of support they provide to disabled staff through a series of measures.

This includes ensuring centralised budgets and processes relating to reasonable workplace adjustments, and a single point of access for staff requesting these modifications.

The BMA is also reiterating its call for an end to the Bradford Factor and for all organisations to implement standalone disability leave policies.

Responding to the findings of the investigation, emergency medicine specialty doctor and disability advocate for the southern health and social care trust Clodagh Corrigan said she hoped the shortcomings exposed by the association’s report would serve as a catalyst for change.

She said: ‘Given this year's theme for IDPwD being “Amplifying the leadership of persons with disabilities for an inclusive and sustainable future”, I challenge our employers to do more than merely mark the day, use this opportunity to effect change, appoint a champion and allow them to lead your organisation toward truly disability positive practice.

‘Support structures including the paid employment of a disability advocate or champion with lived experience is another crucial way in which our employers can demonstrate valuing and promoting diversity of abilities in our workforce.’

She added: ‘Equitable access to leave and reasonable adjustments is vital in securing the fruitful career longevity of disabled doctors and all health service staff, [and] while it is encouraging that the use of the Bradford Factor is diminishing across all four nations, there remains enormous disparities across the country in the management of disabled doctors.’

Find about more about the FoI requests