NHS trusts have recorded more than 35,000 cases of rape and other incidents of sexual abuse in the past five years (file picture) (PA Archive)
NHS trusts reported more than 35,000 cases of rape and other incidents of sexual misconduct in the past five years, an inquiry has found, as senior doctors called for a “real cultural change” in the healthcare service.
An investigation by the British Medical Journal (BMJ) and the Guardian found that a total of 35,520 sexual safety incidents were to be reported at NHS premises between 2017 and 2022.
The data was based on responses to Freedom of Information (FOI) requests from 212 NHS trusts and 37 police forces in England.
At least a fifth of the incidents involved rape, sexual assault, or kissing or touching that the person did not consent to, according to the investigation. Not all trusts provided details of the types of incidents recorded.
Other cases include sexual harassment, stalking and derogatory or derogatory comments.
The investigation found that the majority of incidents (58 per cent) involved mistreatment of staff by patients. Patients abusing other patients was the next most common type of incident (20 percent).
Separately, police recorded almost 12,000 alleged sex crimes on NHS campuses during the same time period.
These include 180 cases of rape of children below 16 years of age, four cases of gang rape of children below 16 years of age.
However, less than one in 10 NHS trusts had a dedicated policy to deal with sexual assault and harassment, and they are no longer obliged to report staff misconduct to a central database.
In 2017-22 more than 4,000 NHS staff were accused of rape, sexual assault, harassment, stalking or making disparaging remarks towards other staff or patients – but only 576 have faced disciplinary action.
When complaints are made against colleagues, women claim that NHS trusts “show a reluctance to suspend offenders due to a total lack of staff,” says Diba Syed, senior legal officer at Women’s Rights, a helpline that provides sexual harassment and abuse. Provides support for women who are harassed or harassed at work.
Health Secretary Steve Barclay said the government has doubled the maximum sentence for those convicted of assaulting healthcare workers and is working closely with NHS England to prevent and reduce violence against staff.
Liberal Democrat health spokeswoman Daisy Cooper told the BMJ and the Guardian: “These revelations are really sickening.
“We need an independent public inquiry now to uncover the full extent of this scam and put an end to it.”
Naru Narayanan, president of The Hospital Doctors’ Union (HCSA), said: “We need a formal independent inquiry into this issue to uncover the truth and hold policy makers and employers accountable. We need real cultural change.
Steve Barclay, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, said: “Violence or misconduct of any kind is unacceptable and has no place in the NHS. We have doubled the maximum punishment for those who work on the frontline such as doctors and nurses Convicted of assaulting emergency workers, including health workers.
“NHS leaders have a statutory duty of care to look after their staff and patients and to prevent harassment, abuse or violence in the workplace. I expect employers to be proactive in ensuring that staff and patients are fully Support is provided, their concerns are heard and appropriate action is taken where necessary.
“We are also working closely with NHS England as it takes action to prevent and reduce violence against staff, including introducing body-worn camera tests and measures to ensure NHS staff work in a safe environment.” including a National Violence Prevention Center.”
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