Barclay calls for clampdown on £13m NHS diversity drive

THE Health Secretary has told NHS chiefs to stop “promoting woke ideology” after it emerged £13million is still being spent on diversity staff despite his clampdown on such jobs.

Steve Barclay’s team has condemned new revelations that equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) roles at trusts across the country are still costing the taxpayer vast sums.

He wrote to the chairmen of England’s integrated care boards in October demanding they stop “actively recruiting” into EDI roles and “move resources from the back office to the front line”.

But The Sunday Telegraph can reveal that at least £13,586,636 is being spent on 336 diversity roles at 111 trusts, raising questions about how the burden on taxpayers can be further reduced without mass redundancies or job moves.

The average salary of diversity positions across all trusts was estimated at £44,693, higher than the UK average salary of around £33,000.

The data was collected by the Taxpayers’ Alliance from freedom of information requests to NHS trusts, shared exclusively with The Telegraph.

A source close to Mr Barclay said: “The Health Secretary has been clear that NHS time and money should not be wasted on dedicated diversity staff and the promotion of woke ideology.

“These resources would be better spent on practical steps to address health inequalities for the benefit of patients.”

John O’Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “Hardpressed households want their funds focused on front line services, not on diversity demagogues.”

An NHS spokesman said it was committed to the most efficient use of resources but pointed out that EDI skills were “important to support legal compliance”.