Racism against non-white NHS staff worsens as abuse rises, survey finds

Summary

A new survey has found that non-white medical staff in the UK's National Health Service are facing worsening racism at work, with abuses such as "dirty foreigners" and "monkey" being hurled at them. The Society of Radiographers said its members reported a noticeable increase in such incidents over the last 18 months, alongside a rise in anti-immigrant rhetoric. The professional body said NHS workers have also had to deal with some patients refusing to be treated by non-white medics. Dean Rogers, the SoR's executive director of industrial strategy and member relations, said: "The rise in incidents of racism over the last year and a half is unconscionable and unacceptable – and it's a poor reflection on us as a society." Rogers said the NHS has a diverse workforce, which is one of its strengths. "We are clear: discrimination, harassment, racism, bullying or intimidation – whether expressed verbally or in behaviour – is unacceptable and has no place in the NHS," he said. Indians have consistently been logged as the largest cohort of internationally trained medics employed in the NHS, making up around 45,000 of its more than 1.5 million staff. A sonographer of Asian descent working in the Midlands told the survey that patients had on several occasions made comments such as: "This country isn't the same, with all those people coming over here, taking our jobs." She said: "It's become more prevalent – it's in the media and certain political parties and TV channels. So people are openly expressing their views." Approximately 21 per cent of the NHS workforce is made up of non-British nationals, and around one in four radiographers registered with the Health and Care Professions Council were trained overseas. Following the survey, the SoR said it would place renewed focus on holding all NHS trusts accountable for incidents of racism, so that they not only record each incident but also monitor how it is dealt with and work with trade unions where necessary. The British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, the UK's largest representative body for doctors and nurses of Indian origin, has repeatedly condemned discriminatory and racist behaviour within NHS ranks.