The number of reports by nurses of racist incidents at work has risen by 55% over three years, according to analysis by the nursing union.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) expects to receive more than 1,000 calls this year from nurses seeking advice and support after racist incidents in the workplace, compared with almost 700 cases in 2022.
Examples of racist abuse reported to its helpline include a nurse whose annual leave was denied being told by their manager that they should not have come to the UK, and another RCN member being told by a colleague: “I want to remind you that you’re not one of us.”
Other racist incidents reported to the union include a patient and their family repeatedly refusing care from a nurse because they said they didn’t want “people like her” treating them and referring to the nurse as a “slave”. Another member was subjected to racist remarks including being told that you could only see black people’s teeth “when it’s dark”.
Prof Nicola Ranger, the RCN general secretary and chief executive, said it was a “mark of shame” that racist incidents were rising across health and care services.
She said: “Every single ethnic minority nursing professional deserves to go to work without fear of being abused, and employers have a legal duty to ensure workplaces are safe. These findings must refocus minds in the fight against racism.
“If health and care employers fail to make their workplaces a safe environment for nursing staff, it is unsurprising that those same staff leave and their services are [left] less safely staffed.”
The nursing union has urged the government to stop using anti-migrant rhetoric, which it said was putting staff at risk.
Ranger said: “The reality is that our health and social care system only functions because nursing staff of every ethnicity, nationality and faith make it so. We are urging government and politicians of all parties to recognise their role in tackling racism – and that must include an end to the use of anti-migrant rhetoric, which only risks emboldening racist behaviour.”
The RCN also called on employers to prioritise tackling racism and to work with trade unions to establish stronger mechanisms to protect staff.
A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said: “These stark figures are shocking and our thoughts are with the victims of this vile abuse.
“Racism and discrimination are unacceptable and will not be tolerated in our NHS. The Prime Minister has ordered an urgent review of all forms of racism in the NHS, as part of wider efforts to tackle discrimination in the health service.
“We value the diversity of our NHS, which relies on the skill and dedication of nursing staff fromall backgrounds – hardworking staff, who keep our health service running caring for patients, must be treated with dignity and respect.”
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