A senior National Health Service leader recently criticized the system, highlighting the inequities that the service practices.
The chair of the NHS Confederation, Lord Victor Adebowale, openly spoke out about the racial inequities at the NHS, drawing on his personal experiences with the treatment of his mother as an example.
According to Adebowale, his mother, Grace, a former nurse for the NHS, was diagnosed with dementia and consistently used the services of the system. Even after reporting her pain and discomfort, she was never diagnosed with cancer; after her death, her family was informed that she had lung cancer, with the illness most likely being the reason for her passing.
In a speech given at the NHS ConfedExpo conference in Manchester, Adebowale highlighted inequities that his mother received, referring to the multiple cancer programs available from the NHS that his mother was denied.
“It wasn’t the death she deserved. So it makes me clear about the need to address the inequity,” said Adebowale. “I think she got a Black service, not an NHS service. So I have to address the inequity that still exists within the NHS, in terms of the experiences that people who look like me continue to receive.”
“She was a nurse. She served the NHS with compassion, care, and dignity—but when she needed that same system, it failed her.” 💔
— Fellow Nurses Africa (@FellowNurses1) June 14, 2025
Lord Victor Adebowale, Chair of the NHS Confederation, shares the heartbreaking story of his mother, Grace— pic.twitter.com/U1OXUAGF6o
In his speech, the chair also highlighted research that showed that Black people tended to wait an extra 20 minutes in the A&E for treatment compared to white people. Other studies have also shown that people from BIPOC communities are 50% more likely to get cancer diagnoses, particularly in the later stages of their illness when the five-year survival rate is lower.
As a result, BIPOC patients are increasingly mistrustful of the NHS. In a 2023 report published by the NHS Race & Health Observatory, Black, Asian and other BIPOC patients with NHS primary care providers all revealed that they had been victims of discrimination and felt mistrustful of the system. Only 55% of participants involved in the study felt that their primary care doctors listened and met their health needs.
About 51% said that they were victims of some form of discrimination, with 49% of Black patients and 38% of Asian patients reporting that their doctors treat them differently because of their ethnicity.
They were also more likely to have worse experiences when trying to communicate their health problems to doctors and often felt that their concerns were not taken seriously. Black women reported increased rates of discrimination as their issues were not adequately addressed due to being a woman and due to their skin color.
“This report reflects the clear need to bring speed and urgency to reform the NHS, so that patients do not face discrimination and systemic barriers when seeking healthcare,” said the Chief Executive of the NHS Race and Health Observatory, Professor Habib Naqvi. “Work is needed now to re-build levels of trust and confidence in the NHS amongst diverse communities, and for the Observatory, that work begins by listening to patients, communities and our partners – so that services can be co-designed to meet the diverse needs of our diverse populations.”
