Only 6% of surgeons working in private healthcare are women – and in two of the five largest hospital groups, there are more orthopaedic surgeons named David than there are women in the same speciality.
Women make up just 6.2% of surgeons working across the UK’s five largest private hospital groups, compared with 16.9% in the NHS.
The research, authored by Kate Hulse and Caitlin Brennan, shows that across all specialities, female representation in private practice is substantially lower than in the NHS, and in most specialities remains below NHS levels recorded as far back as 2012.
Neurosurgery had 2.3% women consultants, with some providers listing no women neurosurgeons at all, while in trauma and orthopaedic surgery, women made up just 2.2% of consultants. In two of the five largest hospital groups, there are more orthopaedic surgeons named David than there are women in the same speciality.
The Royal College of Surgeons in England has written to the five largest independent hospital groups in the UK, calling on them to take clear and credible action to ensure the surgical workforce in their hospitals reflects the diversity and talent of the profession.
“The independent sector now delivers a growing share of surgical care, yet women remain strikingly underrepresented within its surgical workforce,” said Felicity Meyer, consultant vascular surgeon and chair of women in surgery at the RCS
Structural barriers
While women remain under-represented in surgery across both NHS and independent settings, the disparity is significantly greater within the independent sector across almost every surgical speciality.
The research raises concerns about access to surgical careers in the independent sector for women and suggests that longstanding structural barriers may still determine who is able to enter and succeed in independent practice.
RCS England suggests that the independent hospital groups should publish transparent gender data, set targets to increase women’s representation, invest in programmes that support women entering surgery, guarantee fair access to leadership and progression, and enforce robust policies that ensure safe, inclusive workplaces free from discrimination and harassment.
“RCS England’s own work has repeatedly shown that this is not just an issue of fairness, but one that affects the resilience, safety and sustainability of the profession as a whole and ultimately impacts patient safety,” said Meyer.
“Surgery is an immensely rewarding career, but too many barriers still shape who is able to enter, progress and lead. Removing these obstacles is essential if we are to attract and support the full breadth of surgical talent that the future workforce depends on,” she added.
