The NHS has recently come under fire regarding racial discrimination in relation to pay, as evidence showed that the salary of white senior consultants was almost £10,000 more than BME (Black and Minority Ethnic) doctors.

The study also showed that BME nurses and personnel staff were also being underpaid compared to their white comparators.

This information emerged in the British Medical Journal, in which Professor John Appleby, the director of research and chief economist at the Nuffield Trust thinktank, contributed to the study, stating:

In accordance with the Equality Act 2010, which has set out rules in relation to racial discrimination against potential and current employees in the workplace. This includes discrimination against colour, nationality, and ethnicity.

There are four main types of racial discrimination, including:

• Direct Discrimination, which occurs when an employee is treated less favourably in relation to another member of staff due to their actual race, perceived race, or the race of an employee’s associate.