The NHS loses 26,000 working hours to staff attending 'woke' events

The NHS loses 26,000 working hours to its staff attending ‘woke’ events as waiting lists soar to a record 7.4 million

• Events, during work day, focused on transgender issues, sexuality and racism 
• Health bosses failed to clamp down on networks hosting almost 1,000 events 

The NHS is still letting staff waste more than 26,000 hours a year attending ‘woke’ events as waiting lists have soared to a record 7.4million.

The Daily Mail revealed last year how ‘staff networks’ used £1million of taxpayers cash to put on non-clinical activities between 2019 and 2022.

These events, often during the working day, focused on transgender issues, sexuality and racism. They included a ‘tea and rainbow cake’ picnic and a special session on pronouns.

Now an investigation by the Taxpayers’ Alliance has revealed health bosses have failed to clamp down on the networks, which put on almost 1,000 events between January 2022 and March this year – equal to more than three events per working day.

Its analysis of Freedom of Information responses suggests at least 26,000 hours of staff time were taken up by the network events over this period, equivalent to one member of staff working for more than 13 years.

The NHS is still letting staff waste more than 26,000 hours a year attending ‘woke’ events as waiting lists have soared to a record 7.4million

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However, the number of hours will be a significant underestimate because the vast majority of responses did not say how many people attended each event and not all events were recorded due to a lack of information.

The jollies are going ahead despite ministers calling for the NHS to cut back on ‘waste and wokery’ and managers claiming the service needs more money.

Not all NHS trusts provide their networks with funding, which raises questions about why others feel it is necessary to do so. Events between January 2022 and March 2023 included picnics, talks, film viewings and quizzes, the responses reveal.

in London, Barnet, Enfield and Haringey held a ‘staff networks harmonisation away day’ with 28 attendees and Croydon Health held a ‘Trans Visibility Day celebration’.

Aneurin Bevan Health Board had a Pride Month LGBT book club and South West London and St George’s hosted a talk titled ‘coping with news anxiety’, which had 40 attendees on a Thursday afternoon.

John O’Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: ‘Health bosses were warned about the cost placed on the NHS by staff networks. Yet still these groups are taking up vast amounts of staff time, while waiting lists show little sign of coming down. Ministers need to step in and rein in some of these groups.’

An NHS spokesman said: ‘These voluntary networks can provide a space for staff to raise, discuss and address concerns which ultimately helps to improve services for patients.’

The Taxpayers’ Alliance investigation came as the president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists accused the NHS of being institutionally racist.

Dr Adrian James said the problem was causing ethnic minority medics to quit the health service ‘in droves’ – fuelling staff shortages.

Delivering a speech at the college’s congress in Liverpool, he will reference the Sir William Macpherson inquiry into the murder of Stephen Lawrence, which identified institutional racism in the Met Police.

Dr James will also highlight unfair ethnic pay gaps and say that there is a glass ceiling which means minority groups are under-represented at senior levels.

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