Wes Streeting has slammed diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) practices within the NHS, saying they have been “misguided”.
The Health Secretary stressed that there was a need for DEI policies after they were criticised by public figures such as Donald Trump.
Streeting spoke out against “some really daft things being done in the name of equality, diversity and inclusion” which he claimed were pushing back its cause.
The Ilford North MP added that while he believed addressing those challenges was a political fight he was willing to take on, he added that he would “also need the profession to help”.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has spoken out against the plans
PA
Streeting told the BBC: “Sometimes there are some really daft things being done in the name of equality, diversity and inclusion, which [have] undermined the cause. For example, there was one member of NHS staff who was merrily tweeting a job ad online and saying part of her practice was anti-whiteness.
“I just thought: what the hell does that say to the bloke up in Wigan who’s more likely to die earlier than his more affluent white counterparts down in London? We’ve got real issues of inequality that affect white working-class people. The ideological hobby horses need to go.”
The Health Secretary was referring to a post by a counselling psychologist at East London NHS Foundation Trust Dr Florencia Gysbertha.
In the post, Dr Gysbertha called for counselling psychology trainees or psychotherapists in training to come forward for a placement in the NHS.
She said: “The trainee will be supervised by myself, a counselling psychologist, who integrates anti-whiteness/anti-racist praxis into supervision and approaches to clinical work.”
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Streeting added: “What’s been lost, I think, with some well-meaning but misguided approaches to equality, diversity, inclusion, the clue is in the name – it’s equality; it should be applicable to everyone.
“Where we see health inequalities, whether they affect men and women, black people, white people, rich and poor, we’ve got to take a much more evidence-based approach to those inequalities and say if you’re on the wrong end of the stats, we want to deal with that to make sure we get equality of outcome.
“And I was really frustrated just last week to see the government’s commitment to have a men’s health strategy juxtaposed against women’s health, as if by focusing on the inequalities that affect men or the issues that affect men, that somehow we’d be deprioritising women.”
He added: “Part of what I’m doing is kind of trying to win again the fundamental arguments for equality, diversity and inclusion when they are under attack.”
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said he wanted to win the “fundamental arguments for equality, diversity and inclusion”
GB News
It comes as LGBT+ factions of the SNP, Liberal Democrats and the Greens have called on Streeting to resign over engagement with “anti-Trans” groups and the party’s stance on puberty blockers.
A letter signed by the groups said: “It has been reported that trans young people met with Streeting, begging and pleading for there not to be a ban on puberty blockers but Streeting’s actions have since proven his sympathies are with those seeking to cause us harm.
“Whilst the UK Labour Government continues to work with these anti-trans hate groups, we have no faith that there will be a UK-wide trans-inclusive Conversion Practices Ban.
“This follows on from Wes Streeting’s work continuing the Conservatives’ ban on puberty blockers, as well as his continued push to implement the fatally flawed Cass Review: a review which is also heavily influenced by groups advocating for conversion practices against queer people, and has been shown to ignore young trans people’s voices.
“Clearly, these are actions which both Cass and Streeting have in common. Therefore, we call on Wes Streeting to resign immediately as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.”
