Tackling Discrimination, Racism and Unconscious Bias in Healthcare

This unconscious bias training for healthcare covers far more than implicit bias. It helps healthcare professionals recognise and tackle discrimination, racism and bias in the care of patients and the treatment of colleagues, and it is honest about what awareness alone can achieve. The course notes that short, standalone unconscious bias training has limited evidence of changing behaviour or outcomes, which is why the UK government said in 2020 it would phase it out in the civil service. What makes more difference is changing how decisions are made: structured tools, clear criteria, data, accountability and diverse teams. The course is built around that.

It explains the forms of discrimination recognised in law, racism at individual, institutional and structural levels, microaggressions and intersectionality. It then examines evidence of unequal care in the UK, the equality and human rights law in each nation, what regulators expect, the experience of staff from minority groups, and practical strategies for reducing bias, communicating across differences, making reasonable adjustments and challenging discrimination.

It is suitable for clinical and non-clinical staff, educators and leaders. It is designed to take approximately 2 hours, including reading, reflection points, a written reflective account and a 15-question assessment. You buy and take it on our course portal; see the course catalogue. Healthcare Practise UK is an independent provider, not affiliated with any UK regulator or the NHS.

The regulators' shared expectation is that you do not discriminate yourself and that you challenge discrimination when you see it. Your regulator's current standards always take precedence; see our regulator pages for more.

• Understanding discrimination, racism and bias. Forms of discrimination; individual, institutional and structural racism; what the evidence shows on unconscious bias; and intersectionality.
• Health inequalities and discrimination in care. Evidence of unequal outcomes, including MBRRACE-UK findings on maternal deaths; how bias affects assessment of pain and diagnosis; disability, reasonable adjustments and accessible information; and barriers faced by other groups.
• The legal framework across the UK. The Equality Act in services and employment, duties on public bodies, Northern Ireland, and human rights.
• Professional standards and workforce equality. Regulators' expectations, the experience of staff from minority groups, concerns about disproportionate referral to regulators, and what to do when patients discriminate against staff.
• Reducing bias in your practice. Where bias enters decisions, practical debiasing strategies (slow down, use structured tools, consider the opposite, individuate, check outcomes), communicating across differences, and making adjustments routine.
• Challenging discrimination and building fair teams. Challenging comments and behaviour, raising concerns about unfair systems, responding if your own behaviour is questioned, and anti-racist, inclusive practice.

The cases show bias in ordinary decisions: a Black consultant repeatedly asked whether she is "here to collect the bloods", a GP who attributes a learning-disabled man's withdrawal to his disability until a support worker's account leads to a dental abscess, a practice audit showing fewer South Asian patients referred to diabetes education, and a physiotherapy service whose missed-appointment rule was quietly discharging people with mental health conditions.

The reflective account asks how bias and discrimination can affect decisions in your own practice; how you will change the way you assess, communicate with or record information about patients, or treat colleagues; and what action you will take to reduce inequality in your team, and how you will know it has made a difference.

The 15 assessment questions are scenario-based, for example a teenage son offering to interpret for his mother, a clinician who records a woman in pain as "very dramatic", and what the Independent Review of Equity in Medical Devices (2024) found about pulse oximeters. The pass mark is 12 out of 15 (80%). On completion you receive a certificate of completion from Healthcare Practise UK.

For CPD, record the time you actually spend. Nurses, midwives and nursing associates should note that self-directed online learning normally counts towards the NMC's individual CPD hours rather than its 20 participatory hours, unless you complete it with others. Doctors reflect on CPD at appraisal; the GMC does not set fixed hours. The HCPC, GDC, GPhC, GOC, GOsC, GCC and Social Work England each set their own CPD rules, so check what applies to you, and check whether your employer requires a specific course. Keep your certificate and your reflection together.

Individual CPD and appraisal. The course supports awareness of equality and inclusion but does not replace any equality, diversity and inclusion training your employer requires. Its reflective prompts are designed to produce something specific you can discuss at appraisal, such as a change to how you use interpreters or record pain.

Teams and services. Because the course focuses on systems as well as individuals, it works well for teams that want to look at their own data and processes together, such as allocation, discharge rules or referral rates. Organisations can assign it to staff through team credits.

If your own behaviour is questioned. Lesson 6.3 covers how to respond when a colleague or patient tells you something you said was discriminatory: listen, avoid defensiveness, apologise for the impact and learn from it. Where a formal concern has been raised, take advice first. Our conduct and trust remediation page explains how learning fits into a wider response.

This course is part of our conduct and professional behaviour group. You may also want Bullying, Harassment and Workplace Civility in Healthcare, Sexual Safety and Preventing Sexual Misconduct in Healthcare, Managing Anger and Professional Behaviour in Healthcare and the existing Ensuring Dignity and Non-Discrimination as Healthcare Professionals. The which course do I need tool can help you choose.