BMJ, doi: 10.1136/bmj.38062.639190.44, (Published 16 April 2004)

PAPERS

Characteristics of consultants who hold distinction awards in England and Wales: database analysis with particular reference to sex and ethnicity

Trevor W Lambert ¹, Michael J Goldacre ¹, Elizabeth Vallance ², Netar Mallick ²

¹ UK Medical Careers Research Group, Department of Public Health, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7LF
² ACCEA Secretariat, Department of Health, Area 531B, Skipton House, London SE1 6LH

Objective To determine whether women, ethnic minorities, and particular specialties are discriminated against in the receipt of NHS distinction awards.

Design Analysis of database of consultants eligible for distinction awards.

Setting England and Wales, 2002.

Main outcome measures Holding of B, A, and Aplus distinction awards, analysed for all awards, irrespective of when made, and for awards made in the last five years studied.

Results Women and doctors from ethnic minorities were substantially under-represented among award holders when no account was taken of potential confounding factors. Differences diminished after multivariate analysis, but some remained significant. For example, the adjusted odds ratio of women holding awards compared with men was 0.69 (95% confidence interval 0.59 to 0.82) for any award and 1.37 (0.86 to 2.20) for Aplus awards; the odds ratio for any award for non-white doctors trained abroad compared with white doctors trained in the United Kingdom was 0.45 (0.37 to 0.56). In the last five years studied the adjusted ratio of women to men was 0.94 (0.79 to 1.10) for B awards and 1.54 (0.85 to 2.83) for Aplus awards. The adjusted ratio for non-white British trained consultants was 0.86 (0.62 to 1.17) for B awards and 1.20 (0.37 to 3.87) for Aplus awards; for non-white consultants trained abroad it was 0.68 (0.54 to 0.85) for B awards and 0.69 (0.15 to 3.10) for Aplus awards; and for white consultants trained abroad it was 0.70 (0.54 to 0.91) for B awards and 0.90 (0.38 to 2.15) for Aplus awards.

Conclusion Historical under-representation in award holding by women and doctors from ethnic minorities was partly explained by time spent as a consultant. Recent awards showed no under-representation of women and no appreciable under-representation of ethnic minorities overall. However, doctors who trained abroad--both white and non-white--remained under-represented for B awards.

---

(Accepted 5 March 2004)
CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    StumbleUpon    Technorati    What's this?

Relevant Articles

Promotion to hospital consultant: regression analysis using NHS administrative data

Kostas Mavromaras and Anthony Scott
BMJ 2006 332: 148-151. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Doctors trained abroad are less likely to win merit awards
BMJ 2004 328: 0. [Full Text]

Financial incentives for doctors

Marc A Rodwin
BMJ 2004 328: 1328-1329. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Sidhu, R., Rajashekhar, P., Lavin, V. L, Parry, J., Attwood, J., Holdcroft, A., Sanders, D. S (2009). The gender imbalance in academic medicine: a study of female authorship in the United Kingdom. JRSM 102: 337-342 [Abstract] [Full text]  
• Morris, S., Elliott, B., Ma, A., McConnachie, A., Rice, N., Skatun, D., Sutton, M. (2008). Analysis of consultants' NHS and private incomes in England in 2003/4. JRSM 101: 372-380 [Abstract] [Full text]  
• Abel, P., Esmail, A. (2006). Performance pay remuneration for consultants in the NHS: is the current system fair and fit for purpose?. JRSM 99: 487-493 [Full text]  
• Mavromaras, K., Scott, A. (2006). Promotion to hospital consultant: regression analysis using NHS administrative data. BMJ 332: 148-151 [Abstract] [Full text]  
• Rodwin, M. A (2004). Financial incentives for doctors. BMJ 328: 1328-1329 [Full text]  

Rapid Responses:

Read all Rapid Responses

The Last Inequality

William G Notcutt
bmj.com, 6 Jun 2004 [Full text]

Service specialities suffer?

Paul E Sigston, et al.
bmj.com, 24 Jun 2004 [Full text]

Other goals in life!

Alastair Lack
bmj.com, 30 Jun 2004 [Full text]

Online poll

Find out more >>