Queen’s collaborative project to tackle barriers faced by NHS doctors with disabilities
A new project involving researchers from Queen’s will explore the challenges that doctors with disabilities face when trying to progress in their careers.
The project is a collaboration between Queen’s University Belfast, the University of Aberdeen, the University of St Andrews and Edinburgh Napier University.
Considered ‘a critical issue’ in the field of medicine - it is widely reported that, despite legal protections already in place, doctors with disabilities in the NHS continue to face discrimination and significant barriers to their career progression.
Previous research has found that whilst the proportion of NHS doctors who report having a disability is significantly lower than the proportion of people with disabilities in the UK population, they are more likely to experience bullying, discrimination and limited career choices than doctors without disabilities.
The team will identify and address these barriers, offering practical solutions to create equity.
Dr Grainne Kearney, Clinical Reader and Academic GP from the School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences at Queen’s, commented:
“I am delighted that Queen’s is a collaborator in this vital work. Supporting colleagues with disabilities to realise their potential within the NHS is hugely important, not just to these individuals but to wider society, who will benefit from the inclusive patient care they provide.
“The qualitative side of the research, using an Institutional Ethnography approach, has the potential to allow deep understanding of the extra and potentially unseen work of doctors with disabilities, and those who support them, as they navigate their work and make plans for their career.”
Through data analysis, examination of current guidance, interviews and workplace observations, across the UK, the team will uncover why these disparities exist and offer practical solutions to solve them.
Their findings will be shared with doctors, patients, employers, and regulators who, it is hoped, will co-develop actionable recommendations to improve fairness and equity in NHS careers.
Dr Anita Laidlaw, Director of the Centre for Healthcare Education Research and Innovation (CHERI) at the University of Aberdeen explains: “This is an important piece of research as doctors with disabilities bring unique strengths to healthcare, including empathy and lived experience, which enhance patient care.
“Retaining and supporting these professionals is essential for a stronger, more inclusive NHS. As researchers in the Centre for Healthcare Education Research and Innovation at the University of Aberdeen we understand the importance of a sense of being valued for doctors, this includes being confident that you can progress in your career.
“This research will pull together an evidence base upon which to develop robust recommendations to make it more likely in future that doctors with disabilities experience that confidence within the NHS.”
Iain Atherton, Professor of Nursing and Data Science Edinburgh Napier University added: "We cannot afford to see capable health care professionals unnecessarily fall short of career aspirations. Ensuring that medics with disabilities can realise ambitions is of benefit to them, to their patients, and to all of us. This is an important study that will provide evidence to ascertain the implications of disability for our future doctors."
Dr Joanne Cecil, from University of St Andrews, added: “This important research will provide critical insight into the experiences of doctors with disabilities as they navigate professional practice and career progression. Supporting our medical trainees and practitioners with disabilities to attain their professional aspirations will enhance patient care and strengthen our healthcare system."
The project is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research.
Media
For media enquiries, please contact Grace White at Queen's Communications Office: g.white@qub.ac.uk