The 25-year-old said the incident happened recently while she was calling a patient. She said the patient said he did not want to speak to her “just because I’ve got a foreign accent”, before hanging up.
“For a few minutes, I just couldn’t believe it,” she said.
The RCN submitted a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to NHS trusts and health boards across the UK, with 106 responses providing data.
It showed 21,725 reported incidents involving racial abuse or discrimination between 2022 and 2025.
The RCN suggests the true figure would be upward of 40,000 if all NHS trusts had effective reporting systems in place.
RCN general secretary and chief executive Professor Nicola Ranger said the findings showed “a catastrophic rise in the racist abuse faced by nursing staff” and described the situation as a “disgrace”.
The union is calling on health leaders and governments across the UK to “get a grip” of the crisis by delivering standardised and streamlined incident reporting.
Duncan Burton, chief nursing offficer for England, said staff that experienced or witnessed racist incidents were encouraged to report them “so that action can be taken”.
“It is essential that all staff feel safe to speak up and confident that action will be taken, and the NHS has set out targeted action required by local organisations, including reviewing disciplinary processes and providing protection and comprehensive psychological support for anyone reporting concerns,” he said.