Sulis Hospital Bath Gender Pay Gap Report 2024
Background
As an organisation employing more than 250 staff Sulis Hospital Bath is required under the Equality Act 2010, to publish information on its gender pay audit.
Sulis Hospital Bath has been owned by the Royal United Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (RUH) since June 2021. However, Sulis Hospital Bath is a private limited company and operates as a separate business entity from the RUH and therefore reports its own gender pay gap figures.
The data presented here forms a snapshot as of 31 March 2024. This report sets out the gender pay results alongside comparisons to previous years’ results and key findings and actions for Sulis to address its gender pay gap.
Gender pay gap in context
The gender pay gap is a measure of a difference in the pay (converted to an hourly rate) for male and female employees across Sulis, regardless of the nature or level of their work. It is fundamentally different from equal pay, which involves a direct comparison of two people or groups of people to ensure that they are paid comparably for work of comparable value.
Our results - 31st March 2024 snapshot
As of 31st March 2024, Sulis employees numbered 362. 294 females and 68 males. Whilst an independent healthcare organisation, this female/male split is like the NHS with 81% of our workforce female and 19% male. This split has changed little since 2022.
Table 1 - Overall female/male split
| 2022 | 2022 | 2022% | 2023 | 2023% | 2024 | 2024% |
| Female | 221 | 80.66 | 258 | 81.64 | 294 | 81.22 |
| Male | 53 | 19.34 | 58 | 18.36 | 68 | 18.78 |
| Total workforce | 274 | 100% | 316 | 100% | 362 | 100% |
Female employees outnumber male employees at all levels of the organisation. In 2023 the percentage difference between females and males reduced in the higher pay quartiles 3 and 4. However in 2024 the percentage difference between females and males only reduced in quartile 4.
Table 2 - 2024 Gender Distribution by Quartile
Table 2 illustrates the gender distribution within each pay quartile for Sulis in 2024 and Table 3 shows this in comparison to 2023 and 2022. Quarter 1 represents the quarter of the workforce with the lowest hourly rate and Quarter 4 the quarter of the workforce with the highest hourly rate.
Table 3 - Percentage of male and female staff employed by quartile
| Quartile | 2022 Female % | 2022 Male % | 2023 Female % | 2023 Male % | 2024 Female % | 2024 Male % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Lower | 86.76 | 13.24 | 85.71 | 14.29 | 81.32 | 18.68 |
| 2 Lower Middle | 86.96 | 13.04 | 88.89 | 11.11 | 88.89 | 11.11 |
| 3 Upper Middle | 75 | 25 | 80.26 | 19.74 | 81.11 | 18.89 |
| 4 Upper | 73.91 | 26.09 | 71.95 | 28.05 | 73.63 | 26.37 |
| Total workforce | 80.66 | 19.34 | 81.64 | 18.36 | 81.22 | 18.78 |
Table 3 shows the following trends since 2022:
- Quartile 1 – reduction in females by 5.5%
- Quartile 2 – increase in females by 2%
- Quartile 3 – increase in females by 6%
- Quartile 4 – little change
Even though Quartiles 1, 2 and 3 remain overwhelmingly female, the small shift of females from Quartile 1 into Quartiles 2 and 3 will positively reflect on the gender pay gap.
Gender pay gap as a Mean Average
What is the 'Mean'?
The mean is the average hourly wage. It is calculated by adding up all the pay of all male employees and dividing it by the number of male employees. The same is then done for all the female employees.
The mean gender gap is the difference between the average hourly earnings of male full-pay employees and female full-pay employees.
In 2024 on average Sulis male employees earn £0.70 per hour more than female employees, a pay gap of 3.4%. Table 3 below demonstrates that this is a significant reduction in the gender pay gap since 2023 when it was 17.32% with an hourly gap of £3.51.
The reduction is due to significant salary increases for employees in Quartiles 1 (81.32% female) and 2 (88.89% female) resulting from Sulis’s commitment to the (voluntary) Real Living Wage and roles in these Quartiles being regraded upwards.
Table 4 - Gender Pay Gap
| Gender | Mean Hourly Rate 2022 | Mean Hourly Rate 2023 | Mean Hourly Rate 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Male | £19.55 | £20.10 | £20.69 |
| Female | £16.68 | £16.59 | £19.99 |
| Difference | £2.87 | £3.51 | £0.70 |
| Pay Gap % | 14.70% | 17.32% | 3.4% |
Gender pay gap as a Median Average
What is the 'Median'?
The median pay gap is the difference between the midpoints in the ranges of hourly earnings of male and female employees. It takes all salaries in the sample, lines them up in order from lowest to highest, and picks the middle salary.
Table 5 - Gender Pay Gap
| Gender | Median Hourly Rate 2022 | Median Hourly Rate 2023 | Median Hourly Rate 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Male | £16.85 | £18.15 | £18.64 |
Female | £11.98 | £12.74 | £15.66 |
| Difference | £4.87 | £5.41 | £2.98 |
| Pay Gap % | 28.92% | 29.81% | 15.98% |
Sulis male employees earn £2.98 per hour more than female employees, a median pay gap of 15.98%. This is an almost 50% reduction in the median pay gap compared to 2023.
Bonus gender pay gap as mean and median average
Sulis operates two discrete bonus schemes for employees only:
1. Refer a Friend bonus scheme for employed roles
2. Recruitment and retention bonus scheme to attract and retain employed registered staff
In terms of respective financial values of the two bonus schemes, the Recruitment and retention scheme is worth 3x the value of the Refer a Friend scheme.
In 2024, 7.14% of female employees received a bonus and 7.69% of male employees.
The mean bonus gap was 27.89% and the median bonus gap 3.34%. The main reason for the gap is due to all the male employees receiving the Recruitment and retention bonus whilst the female employees received the Recruitment and retention bonus and the lower value Refer a Friend bonus.
Key findings and actions
As with previous’ years report the increased number of men in the highest pay quartile is the key factor driving Sulis’ gender pay gap. In common with many organisations more men fill senior clinical and management roles compared to the proportionate number of men in administrative, health care support, and other junior level support services roles.
However, Sulis’ pay strategy of increasing hourly rates to meet the Real Living Wage and roles in the lowest quartiles being graded upwards, has significantly reduced the gap from 17.32% to 3.4%. More key management roles are also being held by females.
Sulis remains committed to further reducing barriers to female employees moving into more senior clinical and management roles and supports flexible working at all levels in the organisation.
Simon Milner
Hospital Director
20th March 2025