Female NHS staff pay a “motherhood penalty” that stops them advancing in their careers, the president of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has warned.
Cecilia Anim, who combines her RCN role with frontline work as a sexual health nurse, told a Guardian event that women who work part-time in the health service are being held back. Those without children were also affected, as they may have caring responsibilities for parents or other relatives, she said.
“It is the motherhood penalty,” she told guests at the Women in Health event. “Because of these responsibilities, you are doing part-time work, therefore training and development can be difficult, so to progress on [the career] ladder can be difficult.”
Anim was joined by four panellists at the event to discuss how to make healthcare a better sector for women to work in, and many agreed that more opportunities for flexible and part-time working were essential.
Emergency physician Aruna Stannard said there was a bias against part-time working in the health service. She said that, during her appraisal last year, she noticed that her appraiser had written in their notes, “Aruna is obviously a very valued and respected colleague, despite being part time”, although that was not included when her online portfolio was updated.
Stannard, who has worked part-time since having children six years ago, said: “It has been brilliant. It has given me a lot more time with my family and time to feel you are doing your best in both roles.”
But, she said, it was important for the health service to move on from the idea that allowing staff to work part-time was doing them a favour. She called for employers to be more proactive in encouraging staff – not just women – to consider alternative flexible options.
Juliet Bauer, chief digital officer for NHS England, said of her team: “How they work does not matter. The amount of work they do is what is important.”
Technology – including devices and software – made flexible working easier, said Bauer, adding that expertise, outcomes and delivery should be valued as much as being present.
She said she had taken on the personal mission to change the health service’s culture. “In the digital team we can show the rest of the organisation how we want the future to look,” she said.
The event, chaired by Guardian news reporter Alexandra Topping, was supported by the Public Service People Managers Association and was part of a series of Guardian seminars exploring women’s career development in different industries.
Panellists were asked about opportunities for career progression. While 77% of the NHS workforce are female, only 37% of senior roles are held by women.
Dido Harding, who chairs NHS Improvement, said those in leadership positions should try to spot emerging talent and act as mentors.
“I hate the stereotype, but I think it is often true, that women are lacking in confidence and underestimate their abilities,” she said, and suggested “a feminine version of the old boys’ club” to support and nurture colleagues.
Samantha Jones, a former hospital chief executive who until last year was director of NHS England’s new models of care programme, called for structured support and development for people across the care sector, not just in the health service.
Jones and Harding agreed that leaders should demonstrate the behaviours they were asking of their staff.
“For the majority of working mums, there is a working dad and men have a bigger role to play than we often give them credit for,” said Harding. Senior men seen to be sharing responsibility for their family set an example for others in their organisation, she said.
The panellists said support and development for women in their healthcare careers benefited patients too.
Harding called for organisations to be held to account for their people metrics as much as for their safety or financial metrics.
“This is not about political correctness, this is about delivering better outcomes for patients,” she said.
Anim agreed: “Happy healthcare workers give better care for patients.”