Key facts
- Racist abuse against NHS staff by patients has significantly increased.
- Nurses reported 6,812 incidents of racist abuse last year, up 86% from 2022.
- In England, 8,235 reports of racial abuse were recorded by NHS trusts in 2024, a 17% increase from 2023.
- Some staff are experiencing physical attacks and extreme verbal abuse, including racial slurs.
- Many incidents go unreported due to a lack of trust in reporting systems.
- The Department of Health and Social Care has pledged a zero-tolerance approach and announced support measures.
NHS staff are facing an 'unprecedented' and 'catastrophic' rise in racist abuse from patients, with reports indicating a significant increase in both verbal and physical attacks based on ethnicity. Nurses and other healthcare workers are being subjected to racial slurs, being called names like 'monkey', and in some cases, physical assaults such as being punched or having hot drinks thrown at them.
Figures obtained by the BBC and the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) reveal a stark upward trend. In England alone, reports of racial abuse by patients in NHS trusts increased by 17% in 2024 compared to 2023, reaching 8,235 incidents. Across the UK, nurses reported 6,812 incidents of racist abuse last year, an 86% jump from 2022. Campaigners and union leaders warn that these figures likely represent only a fraction of the true scale of the problem, with many incidents going unreported due to a lack of trust in the system or fear of repercussions.
Some healthcare workers, particularly those from ethnic minority backgrounds, have described feeling distressed, anxious, and questioning their future in the NHS. Some nurses have reportedly left their roles or returned to their home countries due to the abuse. The RCN has criticized health service providers for poor data collection on racist incidents, with some organizations failing to keep records or providing 'implausibly low figures'.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has acknowledged an 'intolerable rise in racism' and stated a 'zero tolerance approach'. Measures being introduced include a national reporting system to better understand the targeting of specific staff groups and a support package for frontline staff facing violence and aggression. However, critics argue that more needs to be done to protect staff and address the 'normalisation of extreme views' in society, which they believe is fueling the rise in abuse.