Data on the specific experiences of nurses originally from the Philippines will be collected as part of annual NHS research on staffing for the first time this year.
Filipino nurses and other healthcare workers will have their own distinct ethnicity option in the 2025 NHS Staff Survey, it has been revealed.
Daniel Collard, registered midwife and equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) mandated standards specialist at NHS England, announced the move on social media this week.
The addition of the new option has subsequently been confirmed in the changelog documentation for the 2025 survey.
Previously, when asked for their ethnicity, people from the Philippines would have to select “Any other Asian”.
The change will mean that the experiences of Filipino people working in the NHS will be better understood in future staff surveys, noted those behind the move.
“This small but significant change reflects ongoing efforts to better listen to and represent the voices of our diverse workforce,” Mr Collard wrote.
“It also marks an important step in recognising the contribution of Filipino colleagues — a vital and longstanding part of our NHS family.”
The change follows similar changes made by other NHS-adjacent organisations, like the Nursing and Midwifery Council, which added the option to its registrant database in 2022.
Louie Horne, senior strategic improvement lead for East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust and vice-chair of the Filipino Nurses Association UK, welcomed the decision by the health service.
“It gives us a greater sense of identity and belonging,” she said. “And it helps us to feel proud in adding to the cultural richness of the NHS.”
From 2022 until May 2024, Ms Horne worked at NHS England as a Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES) clinical research fellow.
Creating a distinct category for people from the Philippines, Ms Horne said, was something she had pushed for extensively throughout her time at WRES.
She explained why the change was important for Filipino nurses like her, who represent the second-biggest international nursing community in the UK behind Indians.
“[Having to choose] ’Any other Asian’ background on a national system means that our experiences are not [heard],” she said.
“If there are any health disparities and leadership gaps for us, it’s always under ‘Any other Asian’,” she said. “Whereas, now there’s going to be clear data.”
Without this distinct category, the voice of one of the largest minorities in UK healthcare had been going unheard, Ms Horne said.
“I’m keen that this aggregated data for Filipino people will show information about our experiences and wellbeing,” she said.
She added: “We’ve got discrimination and inclusion issues across the NHS, and this means that we can finally see ourselves in the most clear way.”
