A report commissioned for the General Medical Council has found that doctors from ethnic minorities are treated as outsiders by their bosses and peers in England and Wales but seem to be treated with more respect in Scotland. The report has been headlined across the English media but ignored in Scotland.
The research was based on:
A total of 262 individuals participated in the study, comprising 221 from secondary care and 41 participants from primary care in all four nations. Our sample included Specialty and Associate Specialist (SAS) and locum doctors and General Practitioners (GPs) across Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic and White ethnicities, who were overseas and UK graduates, as well as Consultants, Responsible Officers (ROs), Medical Directors (MDs), Human Resources Directors (HRDs) and Clinical Directors. (4)
Notably, the researchers did not find the same trend in Scotland. See these extracts:
[T] here was a strong narrative this group [BAME] faced strong outgroup bias and exclusion, with SAS doctors viewed as “workhorses”, “invisible labour”, “second class citizens” and “nameless and faceless”. Notably, this narrative was absent in Scotland. (61)
Many are from BAME backgrounds and large numbers are IMG or EEA graduates. These doctors are far more likely to be male than female in all but the youngest age groups (though not in Scotland). (62)
SAS doctors in Scotland seemed more optimistic about their chances of becoming consultants. We noted differences in demographic composition in Scotland where SAS doctors are more likely to be White and more likely to be female. We observed White female doctors becoming SAS doctors as a career choice; there also was a more proactive approach to SAS professional/career development in Scotland, an apparent reflection of the sustained development effort by the Scottish Deanery. (63)
https://www.gmc-uk.org/-/media/documents/fair-to-refer-report_pdf-79011677.pdf
Talking-up Scotland 