NHS radiographers and other healthcare workers have reported a noticeable increase in racist abuse from patients over the past 18 months, according to a recent survey and expert commentary. The incidents range from verbal insults to patients refusing treatment from non-white staff, highlighting ongoing challenges faced by the NHS’s diverse workforce.
A survey of 381 members of the Society of Radiographers (SoR) detailed numerous instances of racism experienced or witnessed by staff. Examples include patients using racial slurs such as “monkeys” and “dirty foreigners,” making derogatory remarks about healthcare workers’ skin colour, and expressing xenophobic sentiments like “people coming over here and taking our jobs.” Some patients have explicitly refused care by Black or Asian radiographers, with one patient reportedly stating, “Black people frighten me.” Other instances included mocking a radiographer’s headscarf and questioning the language skills of staff despite clear communication, as explained by Paul Awah, a radiographer originally from Nigeria.
Awah noted that some patients feign misunderstanding his English, even though it is his first language, and contrasted this with their willingness to understand accents such as Irish or Scottish. He suggested that the current political climate and far-right rhetoric around immigration may contribute to the rise in openly expressed racism within healthcare settings. “What used to be something people wouldn’t say, now the rhetoric has changed,” he remarked.
The NHS Race and Health Observatory’s chief executive, Prof Habib Naqvi, described the incidents as a “sobering reminder” of the persistent racism and prejudice in society and their harmful impact on both staff and patient care. He called for a zero-tolerance approach toward racist behaviour by patients, emphasizing the essential role that healthcare workers from diverse backgrounds play in the NHS.
Dean Rogers, director of industrial strategy and member relations at the SoR, underscored that discrimination, harassment, and racism are unacceptable in the NHS, which prides itself on workforce diversity as one of its core strengths. NHS England’s chief human resources officer, Thomas Simons, echoed this stance, affirming that racist abuse has no place in the health service.
Previous surveys have documented the scale of the issue across the healthcare sector. In October, a nursing union reported a 55% increase in racist incidents experienced by staff over three years, while the most recent NHS staff survey showed that one in five Black and minority ethnic employees reported abuse, bullying, or harassment from patients or the public, compared with one in 20 white staff.
The SoR is urging NHS trusts to systematically record racist incidents and monitor how they are addressed to ensure staff receive appropriate support and that such behaviour is not tolerated. The reports highlight broader concerns about ensuring safe and inclusive working environments for NHS employees amid rising racial tensions in the wider community.