Responding to the new Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB) report which says discrimination stops temporary workers in the NHS speaking up about safety concerns Caroline Waterfield, director of development and employment at NHS Employers, said:

"Its essential for safe patient care that everyone who works in the team feels able to speak up and know they will be listened to, whether employed directly or via a bank or agency. It’s not good enough for patient care that temporary workers have poorer experiences, and this report shows it is further compounded for staff from ethnic minorities.

“The discrimination ethnic minority staff face and the impact this has on their ability to speak up on patient safety issues is a clear example of the vital link between equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) and tackling health inequalities. It demonstrates the importance of tackling inequality within the workforce in order to improve patient care and clearly shows that tackling inequalities for minority groups within the NHS can make care safer for all.

“This report sets out some very practical examples of actions to improve both staff experience and patient safety. These, alongside the NHS Workforce EDI Improvement Plan and the new dataset available in the NHS Staff Survey related to bank workers are valuable resources for employers to draw upon. We will also continue to support members via our work programmes.”