Hospital pledges to act on gender pay gap

BARNSLEY Hospital bosses have vowed to narrow the gender pay gap after it was revealed on average, male employees are paid 35 per cent more per hour than women.

The trust’s gender pay gap figures were revealed to the public earlier this week and they have slightly decreased when compared to the previous year.

The average gender pay gap across the trust is 35 per cent – meaning that on average men are paid 35 per cent more per hour than their female counterparts.

There are variations in pay gaps between different staff groups, with medical and dental staff having a higher pay gap compared to other staff groups.

For medical and dental staff, the average gender pay gap is 16.7 per cent.

For all other staff – the hospital’s largest workforce group – the average pay gap is 6.8 per cent.

Bosses have said that the disparity is partly due to a higher proportion of men in senior positions.

Despite having a higher proportion of female employees overall, there are more men in senior positions.

Dr Giulia Gigliobianco, operations manager, said: “My managers have been middle-aged white men, but in my own experience as a woman in a male-dominated field, that has not been any problem.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re male or female – as long as you have interest in the subject matter, you put in the hours and effort, ask colleagues for help and advice, and lead by example.”

Hospital bosses have confirmed they are working towards narrowing the pay gap through a number of different schemes.

A spokesperson said: “We know that an increasing number of women are choosing medicine as a career and our figures this year show that we have more female trainee doctors than male.

“There are 32 female doctors and 25 male doctors.

“Trust initiatives include promoting career development opportunities, supporting flexible working arrangements, and expanding coaching and mentoring programs all aim to establish conditions for equal opportunities for all.

“The trust will also look to introduce a mentoring and buddying scheme for female and male consultants to encourage and support them with their Clinical Excellence Awards (CEAs) applications.

“CEAs are one of the ways consultants can significantly increase their remuneration.”

Sheena McDonnell, chair of Barnsley Hospital, added: “At Barnsley, I’ve observed a genuine dedication to tackling visible gender disparities.

“All our ongoing efforts focus on fostering a workplace and care environment that is truly inclusive and welcoming.

“While there’s always room for improvement, Barnsley has received acknowledgement nationally for its compassionate ethos.”