In just one month, cash-strapped NHS executives advertised hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of diversity positions.
Trusts in England and Wales advertised sixteen positions for diversity, equality, inclusion, and wellbeing officers in October.
The combined annual salary for the positions is more than £700,000. In comparison, the same amount of money could pay for six general practitioners, 19 nurses, or 20 paramedics.
Campaign groups chastised the health service for funding advertisements for more “diversity demagogues.”
With the NHS backlog approaching 7 million, they claim there is “no excuse for resources to be wasted.”
It comes amid a never-ending NHS crisis in which ambulance, emergency department, and cancer performance have all hit new lows in recent months.
The NHS jobs paid a total of £713,328 per year, with each job paying between £26,282 and £77,274 per year.
A five-month stint as an Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Specialist at Wolverhampton’s Black Country Integrated Care Board paid an annualised salary of £77,274.
Meanwhile, Manchester University Trust is looking for a Group Associate Director of Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion with a salary of £63,862.
The Royal Free London Trust is looking for a £55,049-per-year Equality, Diversity, Inclusion, and Engagement Manager.
East Midlands Ambulance Service is looking for a Wellbeing and Inclusion Advisor with a salary of £32,934 per year.