The BMA has said that while ‘good progress has been made’ on sexism in the organisation following the high-profile Romney report, this still ‘isn’t good enough’.
Daphne Romney KC’s report, which looked into allegations of sexism and sexual harassment made by women in the BMA, included 31 recommendations to support women in the union when it was published in 2019.
A Pulse investigation this year showed there were still major issues around sexism, especially within the GP Committee England, which led in part to chair Dr Farah Jameel taking time off with stress.
In a new blog, BMA deputy council chair Emma Runswick and BMA representative body chair Latifa Patel revealed that the BMA’s implementation of Ms Romney’s recommendations was audited earlier this year.
The blog said: ‘This audit found that while good progress has been made, with more than half of the recommendations now embedded, more work is still clearly needed.
‘We have made good progress across the association for women. However, we still see the gender imbalance in internal and external structures on a daily basis.’
‘This isn’t good enough,’ they added.
However, they stressed that the BMA has taken ‘an active stance’ towards the problems of sexism, homophobia and racism and that ‘things are changing’.
And they said they were ‘proud’ to be a part of the ‘momentous shift’ in the BMA’s 200-year history, including two women elected chief officers.
The chief officer team – the most senior elected members – is now 50% women, they pointed out.
They said: ‘The association has placed more women in positions of leadership and aims to be an anti-sexist trade union.
‘Failure to do so risks us not only becoming irrelevant as your representatives, but of actively causing harm to the medical profession.’
The blog further announced the formation of a new body known as the culture improvement implementation group, which would be a forum for racial and ethnic equality.
Since two female doctors accused elected BMA members of sexual harassment in 2019, Pulse has repeatedly reported on sexism, racism and homophobia within the union.
In June, the BMA sent a lengthy response to Pulse’s allegations into sexism and culture, where they claimed that ‘sexist comments of any kind are of course unacceptable’ within the association.
But a couple of weeks later, an email leaked to Pulse cast doubt on the BMA’s progress in addressing sexism, with Dr Jameel described as ‘naughty’ and ‘petulant’.
Earlier this year, Pulse published an investigation on the culture at the BMA, where it uncovered problems at the BMA and how those affect GPs.
