BMA is calling for improvements to be made within employing Trusts to address the specific needs of doctors with disabilities. Following a Freedom of Information (FoI) request four of the five trusts in Northern Ireland responded to queries relating to the way in which they managed disability-related issues including provision of reasonable adjustments and disability-related absence.
The research was undertaken following a motion submitted at the BMA’s Annual Representative Meeting by Dr Clodagh Corrigan, a doctor from the Southern Trust in Northern Ireland. The motion tasked the BMA with assessing how employers were addressing the needs of disabled doctors including how many employers were recording disability related absence as sick leave, how many had disability champions to demonstrate they valued all doctors living with disability and long-term conditions and the process for requesting reasonable adjustments.
Of the trusts in Northern Ireland who replied to the FoI, none of them recorded disability absence separately from sickness absence; none of them had separate disability leave policies; only one organisation offers paid disability leave; none had a disability network or a senior level sponsor for disabled doctors, and only one could confirm whether they had lived experience representation in their organisation. Only one reported having a paid disability champion or advocate role, and none had centralised budgets or processes for requesting/implementing adjustments.
Speaking about the findings, Dr Corrigan said, “These findings are extremely disappointing. Doctors with disabilities are a key part of the workforce but they do face additional challenges. Employers should be doing everything they can to ensure they support and keep these doctors in post.
“Some of these measures are very easy to implement and are cost neutral for organisations. What is needed is a willingness from employers to genuinely engage and work with doctors to develop solutions that work for everyone.
“What I would like to see is for all trusts to be required to record disability-related absence separately from sickness absence, so that disabled doctors are not disadvantaged by inflexible performance management processes.
“I would also like to see all employers developing standalone disability leave policies including a provision that paid disability leave can be accessed while an employer is putting reasonable adjustments in place to support the disabled employee.
“The Trusts are actively reviewing their absence management policy right now, so I challenge them to demonstrate a willingness to improve the working lives of disabled staff and implement disability leave immediately.
“I am very proud to be the disability advocate in the Southern Trust, and I would like to see the same across all HSCNI employers, so the lived experience of disabled doctors can be fed into decision-making at a senior level. What I can see is that disabled doctors do not always know how to access available support and employers need to be more aware of the challenges faced by particular groups including new starters, resident doctors on rotational training, and those who work less than full time for disability reasons.
“Finally all trusts should be encouraged to produce a standalone reasonable adjustments policy with input from disabled staff and there should be a centralised budget for the provision of reasonable adjustments for disabled staff along with a centralised process for requesting adjustments, to reduce the requirement for disabled doctors to negotiate individually with line managers to get adjustments agreed.
“By working with their disabled doctors the trusts can really improve their employment experience and show they truly value them as part of the workforce.”
Read more here: https://thedoctor.bma.org.uk/articles/doctors-wellbeing/disabled-doctors-do-not-receive-required-support-finds-survey/
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Notes to editors
The BMA is a professional association and trade union representing and negotiating on behalf of all doctors in the UK. A leading voice advocating for outstanding health care and a healthy population. An association providing members with excellent individual services and support throughout their lives.