The role of the Department of Health and other key institutions in the promotion of equal opportunities, multi-cultural and anti-racist issues in nurse education

Equal opportunities, multi-cultural and anti-racist issues have been discussed in nurse education for at least two decades. This paper discusses the extent to which the Department of Health (DoH), United Kingdom Central Council (UKCC) and the English National Board (ENB) have developed, implemented and evaluated the above policies in nurse education. A brief overview of the wider roles of the key institutions are outlined. More specifically, some of the major health and social policies implemented during the last two decades are reviewed. This review concludes that the major policies have neglected or marginalized equal opportunities and multi-cultural issues. This is especially so for anti-racism. It argues that the ideologies which underpin social and health policies reinforce white superiority and that these ideologies are rooted in Britain’s history of colonialism.