NHS spent over £700,000 in taxpayer cash on ‘virtue-signalling’ staff magazines

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Investigation finds 69 NHS trusts produced stylish human resources-themed pamphlets, with vast sections unrelated to health or patients



The NHS is under fire for spending more than £700,000 of taxpayer cash printing “virtue-signalling” staff magazines, including tips on diversity and Black Lives Matter.

An investigation has found that 69 NHS trusts produced stylish human resources-themed pamphlets, which had vast sections unrelated to health or patients.

They included a Black Lives Matter pledge, lectures on Islamic art and staff told to “embrace your diverse self”, freedom of information requests show.

Some £740,000 was splashed out on magazines with titles such as “chinwag”, from 2019 to 2022, with just three trusts using advertising income to fund them.

The revelation has sparked fury amid soaring NHS backlogs in the wake of Covid lockdowns, with NHS chiefs told to ditch “progressive platitudes”.

Prof Karol Sikora, a leading oncologist and former director of the World Health Organisation cancer programme, condemned the spending as “utterly ludicrous” during a cancer crisis.

“The country is being asked to pay more and more to reinforce the NHS, that goodwill will be very short lived if this waste is widespread,” he told The Telegraph.

“As much money as possible needs to be poured into tackling the backlogs and cutting down the obscene waits millions of people are suffering.

“Communication with staff can happen in meetings and over email, not in glossy magazines funded by the taxpayer.”

The probe was carried out by the Taxpayers’ Alliance and shared exclusively with The Telegraph.

John O’Connell, the chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “Taxpayers are tired of NHS middle-managers using funds needed for front-line services.

“Too many Trusts are spending significant sums on glossy print and digital magazines, which frequently stray into virtue-signalling and progressive platitudes.

“NHS Trusts must ensure that communications are necessary and delivered with value in mind.”

The number of people waiting for NHS care hit a record 6.73 million last month, with 355,000 people waiting more than a year for treatment.

In June, NHS recorded its lowest ever performance for people seen within two months following a referral for cancer treatment, meeting the target for just six in ten patients.

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And our woefully inadequate Minister for Health and Social Care says...?