The impact of Brexit on ethnic discrimination among NHS Workforce

This paper examines the effects of Brexit on experiences of workplace discrimination among clinical staff from ethnic minority backgrounds working in the UK's National Health Service (NHS). Using difference-in-differences models and data from the NHS Staff Survey over 2012-2022, we provide evidence that minority doctors, nurses, midwives and healthcare assistants reported increased discrimination from both patients/public and peers/managers after the 2016 Brexit referendum, relative to trends in discrimination facing white staff. These findings point to concrete human costs of Brexit for minority NHS personnel that have received little attention to date, despite the health service's heavy reliance on minority and immigrant workers. Monitoring staff experiences and supporting diversity must be priorities for retaining the NHS's diverse workforce in the post-Brexit era.

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