High levels of racism in the NHS a ‘debilitating’ problem

The BMA has shared interim findings from its Racism in Medicine survey which reveals that doctors from all ethnic minority backgrounds consider racism a problem in the medical profession.

With over 2,000 responses from doctors and medical students across the UK, the BMA believes the survey to be one of the largest of its kind on the experience of racism in the medical profession and workplace. Just over 90 per cent of black and Asian respondents, 73 per cent mixed and 64 per cent of white respondents said racism in the medical profession is an issue.   

The association has shared headline findings which show a high level of racist incidences occurring within the health service. This includes three quarters of the doctors surveyed experiencing racism at least once in the last two years, with nearly one in five of those experiencing these racist incidents on a regular basis.

The survey also shows a low-level of reporting for racist incidents, with 71 per cent of doctors who experienced racism choosing not to report it to anyone due to a lack of confidence that the incident would be addressed or, and a fear they would be labelled ‘troublemakers’.

Nearly 20 per cent of doctors said that they either considered leaving or left their job within the past two years due to race discrimination.

Dr Chaand Nagpaul, BMA chair of council, said: “The results from this survey, though interim, show unacceptable levels of racism within the NHS which cannot be ignored. Doctors from ethnic minority backgrounds and those who qualified outside the UK but are registered to practice here, want to focus on caring for patients, without the burden of abuse that comes from demoralising and often debilitating experiences of racism in the workplace.

“These experiences of racism are clearly undermining the NHS’ ability to bring out the best in its workforce and there is no doubt that this will be having a knock-on effect on patient services. The GMC’s independent report into the wellbeing of doctors and medical students found abundant evidence that workplace stress in healthcare organisations affects quality of care for patients as well as doctors’ own health. It’s high time the conversation on race equality in the medical profession changes – reflects NHS staff’s lived experiences and seeks solutions.

“Employers and the government have a duty of care to address the concerns of those who work within the health service. Decision-makers must get their heads out of the sand and act now. The BMA will be publishing its full report with recommendations this Spring which the government must act on as a matter of priority.”