The Royal College of Physicians commissioned consultant Ben Summerskill to review the RCP’s current performance on diversity within its workforce, with a strong focus on volunteer posts filled by members or others, and to make recommendations as to any improvements necessary in monitoring and reporting.
A 2020 Vision – An independent report into Diversity and Inclusion at the Royal College of Physicians has six sections looking at the current make-up of the RCP, how diversity is measured and monitored, how the RCP presents itself and how some perceive it, how the organisation recruits and retains staff and volunteers, and at its ways of working.
There are 29 wide-ranging recommendations, covering areas such as advertising, recruitment, representation, staff networks and systems and training, which will be addressed in an action plan from the RCP.
Ben Summerskill was previously chief executive of Stonewall and a commissioner at the Equality and Human Rights Commission. He was supported by an 11-strong advisory panel from the RCP, which carried out 22 face-to-face interviews with a range of stakeholders, including members and employees, from a range of personal backgrounds and at different stages in their careers. A further 1,090 members, staff and stakeholders responded between October 2019 and January 2020 to an easily accessible anonymous online survey.