Equality Information
The Equality Act 2010 requires public bodies to publish ‘Equality Information’ relating to its employees.
We want to be as transparent as possible, without compromising anonymity or overwhelming you with data.
Please get in touch if there’s something you’d like to know about which isn’t published here, and we’ll be happy to help if we can.
What we routinely analyse
We produce an internal annual report which analyses the following datasets and proposes actions to address any issues emerging:
Demographics
- overall diversity of the HRA workforce
- diversity at different pay bands
- diversity trends and progress over time
- non-disclosure rates
Recruitment
- diversity of applicants to work at the HRA
- diversity of those interviewed for employment at the HRA
- diversity of appointments
- relative likelihood of people with different characteristics converting an application or interview to an appointment
Staff experience
- Gender Pay Gap
- Staff Survey results sliced by equality characteristics
- diversity of staff on secondments
- diversity of staff leaving their employment with the HRA
Notes on our numbers
- we currently report on males rather than females as our under-represented group
- trans identities are not included in the LGBQ+ category, which is about sexual orientation, not gender identity. Data on trans and non-binary colleagues is not currently captured by the system we use
- atheism has been coded as ‘no religion or belief’, although we do recognise that for some people it is a belief system rather than a lack of religion or belief
- white minorities are not included in the ethnic minority total
- ‘Prefer not say’ responses vary across characteristics and are not included below. It should not be assumed that, for example, having 9% LGBQ+ people means that 91% are heterosexual
- The 2021 Census asked about sexual orientation and gender identity. 0.5% of people said their gender did not align with the sex assigned to them at birth. Unfortunately, this data is not yet captured within the NHS staff records system
- in areas such as appointments and leavers, the numbers are small and therefore are not hugely reliable. They are included here for transparency, and converted to percentages (without sharing the overall total from which the percentage is derived) to preserve anonymity
Demographics
| Equality characteristic | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | Change since 2022 | Census 2021 comparator |
| Disability | 8% | 9% | 11% | 10% | 14% | +6% | 18% |
| Ethnic minority | 16% | 17% | 16% | 17% | 19% | +3% | 18% |
| LGBQ+ | 8% | 8% | 8% | 9% | 9% | +1% | 3.2% (residents aged 16 and over) |
| Male | 27% | 29% | 28% | 30% | 31% | +4% | 49% |
| Religion or belief | 49% | 48% | 50% | 49% | 51% | +2% | 57% |
The demographic data in the table above shows an encouraging year-on-year improvement, with representation increasing across each equality characteristic compared with the previous year.
Finding a suitable comparator for disability is challenging, as Census data will include people with age-related disabilities and those with profound and multiple disabilities who may be unable to access employment opportunities. An alternative comparator might be the quarterly Labour Market Survey (ONS). We can see that in the quarter January to March 2024, 13% of people aged 16 to 64 surveyed were in employment and met the Equality Act definition of disability. A separate table of self-reported health status presents a figure of 9% of people in employment with a work-limiting disability.
Diversity at different levels of the organisation
| Equality characteristic | HRA as a whole | Bands 4 - 5 | Band 6 | Band 7 | Band 8+ |
| Disability | 14% | 33% | 36% | 20.5% | 10% |
| Ethnic minority | 19% | 30% | 19% | 30% | 22% |
| LGBQ+ | 9% | 21% | 42% | 29% | 8% |
| Male | 31% | 22% | 21% | 21% | 37% |
| Religion or belief | 51% | 34% | 22% | 24% | 24% |
The data shows that diversity is present across all levels of the organisation, although representation varies by equality characteristic and pay band. Disabled, ethnic minority and LGBQ+ colleagues are represented across Bands 4 to 8+, with particularly strong representation in some mid-level bands. Male representation is highest at Band 8+ compared with other bands, while colleagues with a religion or belief are represented across all levels but at lower proportions within individual bands than across the organisation as a whole. Overall, the table helps identify where representation is broadly distributed and where further work may be needed to support progression and representation at all levels.
People starting employment at the HRA
| Equality characteristic | Percentage of new starters* with this characteristic (*staff with <1 year service on 31 March 2026) |
| Disability | 11% |
| Ethnic minority | 28% |
| LGBQ+ | 11% |
| Male | 45% |
| Religion or belief | 38% |
New starter data indicates positive diversity in recent recruitment, particularly for ethnic minority, male and LGBQ+ colleagues, whose representation among new starters is higher than in the HRA workforce overall. Representation of disabled colleagues and colleagues with a religion or belief is lower among new starters than across the workforce as a whole, which may be worth monitoring over time.
People leaving the HRA
| Equality characteristic | Percentage of leavers with this characteristic during 2025 to 2026 | HRA as a whole, on 31 March 2026 |
| Disability | 8% | 14% |
| Ethnic minority | 32% | 19% |
| LGBQ+ | 12% | 9% |
| Male | 48% | 31% |
| Religion or belief | 20% | 51% |
The table suggests that leavers in 2025 to 2026 were more likely to be from an ethnic minority background, male, or LGBQ+ compared with the HRA workforce as a whole. Ethnic minority colleagues made up 32% of leavers compared with 19% of the overall workforce, while men accounted for 48% of leavers compared with 31% of the workforce. LGBQ+ colleagues were also slightly over-represented among leavers at 12%, compared with 9% overall. Disabled colleagues and colleagues with a religion or belief were represented among leavers at lower levels than their overall workforce representation. Overall, the data highlights areas that may benefit from further exploration, particularly around the experiences and retention of ethnic minority and male colleagues.