Since launching this campaign, I have continued to raise the case for an independent NHS Workforce Ombudsman with politicians, NHS leaders and workforce stakeholders.

Unfortunately, calls for an NHS Workforce Ombudsman have so far been rejected without any meaningful explanation. Despite repeated requests, ministers have failed to provide a clear policy rationale, cost analysis, or evidence-based justification for refusing to consider an independent body dedicated to NHS workforce concerns.

This is particularly concerning given the evidence.

The NHS Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES) and Workforce Disability Equality Standard (WDES) continue to reveal persistent inequalities across the NHS workforce. Staff from ethnic minority backgrounds remain less likely to be appointed from shortlisting, more likely to experience formal disciplinary processes, and less likely to believe they have equal opportunities for career progression. Disabled staff continue to report higher levels of discrimination, bullying and exclusion.

The issue is not a lack of data. The issue is accountability.

For more than a decade, NHS organisations have been required to collect, publish and discuss workforce equality data. Yet many of the same disparities continue to appear year after year. WRES and WDES have become powerful diagnostic tools, but diagnostics alone do not create change.

My biggest criticism of the current system is that it fails to get the basics right. If workforce equality standards are to have credibility, they must be supported by robust accountability structures. At present, NHS staff who experience discrimination, bullying, retaliation or unfair treatment often find themselves navigating internal processes that lack independence and public confidence.

An NHS Workforce Ombudsman would provide independent oversight, transparency and scrutiny. It would offer staff a route to raise systemic concerns while helping organisations identify recurring issues before they damage retention, morale and ultimately patient care.

The NHS is the UK's largest employer. How it treats its workforce matters.

Thank you to everyone who has signed, shared and supported this campaign. Your support keeps this issue visible and helps maintain pressure for meaningful reform.

Please continue sharing the petition and encouraging others to sign. Every signature strengthens the call for independent accountability in the NHS workforce.