Home / Health / NHS staff report rising racist abuse from patients
NHS staff report rising racist abuse from patients
5 Apr
Summary
- One in five minority ethnic staff endure patient discrimination.
- White colleagues face discrimination at a much lower rate.
- Advice line calls about workplace racism have surged by 55%.
Frontline healthcare professionals are increasingly reporting experiences of racist abuse from the very patients they serve. Latest findings from the 2025 NHS Staff Survey, a significant global workforce assessment, indicate that one in five minority ethnic staff members have faced discrimination from patients or the public. This contrasts sharply with the experience of their white colleagues, of whom only one in twenty report similar incidents.
The Royal College of Nursing has noted a substantial rise in reported racism, with a 55% increase in calls to their advice line concerning workplace racism over the past three years. This documentary aims to delve into the lived experiences of nurses, general practitioners, and care workers to ascertain whether the current climate exacerbates these issues, exploring the depth and nature of this persistent problem.
