In this article:

2020 data analysis report for NHS trusts and foundation trusts

The 2020 data analysed in this report was sourced before and during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on some communities, including colleagues with a disability or long-term condition. The findings in this report reflect the longer-term aim of improving Disabled staff experiences, which are even more urgent in the context of COVID-19.

The Workforce Disability Equality Standard (WDES) is mandated to all NHS trusts and foundation trusts in England through the NHS Standard Contract, and comprises 10 metrics.

The aims of this report are to: 

• Compare the workplace and career experiences of NHS Disabled and non-disabled staff using data drawn from WDES reporting in 2020. 

• Present high level findings and analysis of the WDES metrics data at a national level. 

• Highlight trends in NHS staff survey data for the period 2015 to 2019 where data is available. 

• Suggest actions that will improve the experiences of Disabled staff against each metric. 

• Continue to raise awareness of disability equality within the NHS workforce and outline some of the challenges that Disabled staff collectively experience at work.

2020 data analysis key findings

• 3.5% of staff have declared a disability on the NHS Electronic Staff Record (ESR). This is up from 3.1% in 2019.

• Non-disabled job applicants were 1.2 times more likely to be appointed from shortlisting.

• Disabled staff were 1.54 times more likely to enter the formal performance management capability process.

• 26.3% of Disabled staff reported harassment, bullying or abuse, compared to 18.5% of nondisabled staff.

• 78.2% of Disabled staff believe they have equal opportunities for career progression. This has improved from 77.6% last year.

• 30.6% of Disabled staff stated they had experienced presenteeism. This compares to 21.2% of non-disabled staff. This has improved from 32.1% last year. 

• 39.1% of Disabled staff said they felt valued, compared to 50.4% of nondisabled staff. This has improved from 37.3% last year.

• 26.2% of Disabled staff felt that their employer had not made adequate adjustments.

• Disabled staff reported an engagement score of 6.64 compared to 7.13 for non-disabled staff. 

• 92.8% of trusts reported they had taken steps to facilitate the voices of Disabled staff. This is up from 85% in 2019.

• 3% of board members have declared a disability. This is up from 2% in 2019. Two-thirds of trusts do not have any board members who have declared a disability.