NHS Employers responds to RCN figures as nursing staff report 78% surge in racist abuse

Responding to new figures from the Royal College of Nursing which show more than 21,000 incidents of racist abuse were reported by nursing staff across the UK over the last four years, Dean Royles, interim chief executive of NHS Employers, said:

“It remains an outrage that NHS staff should be subjected to violence and abuse because of who they are. These figures reinforce the recent results from the NHS Staff Survey that showed increasing concern about racial harassment.

“Despite the rising prevalence of racism including antisemitism and Islamophobia in our communities, NHS employers and their teams remain committed to rooting out all forms of racism and to taking firm action.

“Health service leaders across the NHS know that visible leadership counts and they recognise the importance of tackling racism at work, be that from patients, staff or members of the public, to ensure their teams can work in a safe environment.”