58,000 NHS Workers Say They Have Experienced Unwanted Sexual Behaviour

October 16, 2024 TruthUSA

Incidents of unwanted sexual behaviour while at work were most likely reported by ambulance crew, followed by nursing and health care assistants, and registered nurses and midwives.

Approximately 58,000 NHS staff in England reported experiencing unwanted sexual behaviour while at work last year, representing around one in eight employees across the entire health service.

These findings are from the 2023/2024 NHS staff survey released on Wednesday. This survey, for the first time, inquired if staff had encountered at least one incident of unwanted behaviour of a sexual nature. This behavior included offensive or inappropriate conversations, touching, or assault.

Among all staff surveyed, 8.67 percent reported experiencing unwanted behavior from patients, patients’ relatives, or other members of the public, and 3.84 percent said they had been targeted by other staff members or colleagues.

The victims varied by occupation type, with ambulance crew most likely to report incidents from patients and the public (27.31 percent) and staff (9.38 percent), followed by nursing and health care assistants (16.93 percent, 4.20 percent), and registered nurses and midwives (11.05 percent, 3.71 percent).

NHS Chief Executive Amanda Pritchard commented on the results, stating, “There is absolutely no place for sexual misconduct or abuse of any kind within the NHS—a place where staff come to work every day to provide compassionate care and support to others. We know that women are more likely to be affected, and this is unacceptable. We must not tolerate it.”

“For anyone who has experienced sexual abuse or misconduct at work, it is an extremely distressing and isolating experience. We must do everything in our power to ensure our staff feel comfortable speaking up and have complete confidence that they will receive the necessary support,” Pritchard said.

Anonymous Reporting

The health service announced on Wednesday that staff can now report incidents of sexual misconduct anonymously. Pritchard mentioned that this will make it easier for staff to report issues and demonstrates their serious commitment to eradicating this abhorrent behavior.

NHS England has issued new guidance on how to recognize and respond to disclosures of sexual misconduct. This comes alongside a new legal duty on employers to prevent sexual harassment that has come into effect this month.

The health service’s new policy concerning sexual misconduct can encompass a variety of behaviors, including sexual assault, sexual comments or jokes, unwanted touching or kissing, and staring at someone in a sexual manner.

Guidance covers incidents occurring on NHS premises or elsewhere, such as virtual or physical environments that may not always be designated as a workplace, the health service stated.

Similar Findings From Union

The NHS’s survey echoes similar findings gathered by the UNISON union. Their own survey published in April revealed that one in 10 NHS workers, including nurses, porters, ambulance workers, cleaners, and 111 call handlers, had encountered sexual harassment in the workplace at some point.

According to data from the survey of 12,243 health care staff across the UK, 29 percent of those who experienced sexual harassment reported sexual assault. Additionally, a quarter reported unwanted sexual advances, demands for sexual favors, or propositions.

Other complaints involved suggestive gestures, crude jokes, unwelcome sexual messages, and exposure to offensive material, including pornography.

There were even reports of rape.

UNISON collected statements from respondents detailing their experiences of sexual harassment. For example, a 111 call handler in Wales mentioned how individuals would call the non-emergency medical helpline and make sexual comments and crude jokes while the call handler tried to conduct an assessment over the phone.

Despite the gravity of these incidents, 51 percent did not report them to their employers. Reasons cited included a lack of trust in the reporting process, a belief that their employer would not act on their complaint, or fearing being perceived as overly sensitive.

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