§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will take steps to ensure that advertisements in future recruitment campaigns for nurses in the National Health Service show both black and white nurses and potray them performing similar tasks; and if he will make a statement;
(2) if he will issue guidelines to health authorities to the effect that racial discrimination should be treated as unprofessional and punishable; and if he will make a statement;
(3) what steps he takes to ensure that young black women are encouraged into the nursing profession; what information he has about the current percentage of registered general nurse trainees that are black and about the relative numbers of black and white nurses who are directed towards state enrolled nurse and state registered nurse training, respectively; what steps are taken to ensure that arduous and unpopular nursing jobs are allocated, and promotions made, on a non-racial basis; and if he will make a statement.
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§ Mr. MellorThe Department's nurse recruitment advertisements are filmed in NHS hospitals using local nurses. Although we try to include nurses of various ethnic groups this depends on the availability of suitable staff in the particular location who are willing to appear in the advertisement. The Department's nursing careers publicity material does include nursing and midwifery staff from a number of ethnic groups.
Health authorities are producing careers leaflets in a variety of languages depending on local needs with the aim of encouraging people from their local ethnic groups to consider nursing as a career. Next year the Department will be producing for use by health authorities in local campaigns a nursing careers video specifically for ethnic minority groups. A video "Nursing For All—Career Opportunities for the Asian Community" has been produced by the Royal Society of Medicine for the Spitalfields task force with funding from a number of bodies including the Department. The aim of this video, which is available in five Asian languages, is to convince Asian families that nursing is a worthwhile, rewarding career.
Information is not available centrally about the ethnic origins of students or nursing staff.
Health authorities,which have been sent guidance in the Department's circular HC (78)36 and who are in receipt of the Commission for Racial Equality's code of practice, are well aware of their duties and responsibilities under the Race Relations Act 1976, and also of the role of the Commission and other bodies in dealing with alleged cases of discrimination. Our main concern now must be to identify the most effective means of encouraging and helping authorities to develop and implement policies of equal opportunities. That is why we support the work of the King's fund task force on racial equality in the NHS, whose model policy document, published in July of last year, was commended by the then Minister for Health my hon. Friend the Member for Braintree (Mr. Newton) in a letter sent to all health authority chairmen. Further guidance and support is, I understand, in the pipeline. In the circumstances I see no need at present for the issue of additional guidance by the Department.