Prime Minister Kier Starmer has ordered an urgent review of antisemitism and all forms of racism in the NHS, as part of wider efforts to tackle discrimination in the health service.
Following recent incidents of antisemitism from doctors, which drew stark attention to problems of culture and the regulation in the health system, Lord John Mann will lead the review, looking at how to protect patients and staff from racism and hold perpetrators to account.
Strengthened, mandatory antisemitism and anti-racism training will be rolled out immediately for all NHS staff, and NHS England will review its uniform guidance so patients and staff always feel respected in NHS settings.
Keir Starmer says: “The NHS was built on the principle that everyone should be treated equally and with respect, and I am determined to restore this to the heart of the health service.”
Today’s announcement builds on wider efforts across government to stamp out behaviour that seeks to divide and spread hate across the whole of society, following the horrific terrorist attack on Heaton Park Synagogue earlier this month.
Lord John Mann says: “Ensuring that the systems and culture of regulation across the health service match, at all times, the universal principles and ethics that underpin our NHS will be the sole focus of this work.”
Lord Mann’s review will examine how the regulatory system for healthcare professionals tackles antisemitism and other forms of racism at every stage, from employment through to professional oversight. It will also look at regulatory processes, transparency in investigations, reporting mechanisms and how zero-tolerance policies can be more effectively implemented across the health service.
New training
All 1.5 million NHS staff will be required to complete updated mandatory antisemitism and anti-racism training, with existing equality, diversity and human rights programmes being expanded to include:
• Enhanced content on discrimination and antisemitism
• New assessment questions to test understanding
• Training developed with equality and antisemitism subject matter experts
• Content aligned to core skills training framework.
Staff will be asked to refresh their training immediately when the updated content becomes available shortly, rather than waiting for the standard three-year cycle.
The government is also asking NHS England to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism and set clear expectations that every Trust, Integrated Care Board, and arms-length body does the same. A review of the recommendations of the independent working on Islamophobia is also being undertaken.
Uniform guidance
NHS England is reviewing the uniform and workwear guidance last updated in 2020, in light of recent successful approaches rolled out at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust. NHS England will engage stakeholders on its proposals and issue new guidance shortly. The guidance will protect freedom of religious expression while ensuring patients feel respected at all times. The guidance will not impact staff’s freedom to protest and speak out on political issues, but it will ensure that the political views of staff do not impact on patient care.
