Only one NHS trust in England provides dedicated training to prevent sexual harassment, according to research, raising concerns that the NHS is failing to adequately protect staff and patients.
According to health union figures, sexual harassment of staff is pervasive. A 2019 survey by Unison found that one in 12 NHS staff had experienced sexual harassment at work during the past year, with more than half saying the perpetrator was a co-worker. In a recent BMA survey, 91% of female doctors reported sexism, 31% had experienced unwanted physical contact and 56% unwanted verbal comments.
Yet research by the University of Cambridge, published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine on Friday found that the vast majority of NHS trusts did not provide any dedicated training to prevent sexual harassment.
The report analysed data from freedom of information requests from 199 trusts in England and found that just 35 offered their workers any sort of active bystander training (ABT), while only one NHS trust had a specific module on sexual harassment.
ABT is designed to give individuals the skills to call out unacceptable behaviour, from workplace bullying to racism and sexual misconduct. It is widely used by the military, universities and Whitehall, including the Home Office.
The report’s authors said that failure to implement such training in the health service could thwart NHS attempts to tackle sexual harassment.
Dr Sarah Steele, senior research associate at the University of Cambridge and author of the report, said: “It is unacceptable that so few NHS trusts in England provide active bystander training when it is proven to equip staff to tackle harassment and violence when they see it.
“The NHS needs to ensure all staff complete active bystander training from the very first days of undergraduate degrees through to those nearing retirement. Without this, the problems of sexual harassment will continue to be a problem in the NHS and across wider society.”
Responding to the findings, Scarlett McNally, president of the Medical Women’s Federation, said there was an urgent need to improve the working environment for female doctors. “Active bystander training should be mandatory, including interventions to stop sexual harassment,” she said. “The emphasis should not only be on reporting appalling behaviour, but stopping the behaviour and changing the culture so everyone is treated with respect.”
Medina Johnson, chief executive of IRISi, a not-for-profit organisation that helps healthcare professionals identify and respond to gender-based violence during consultations, said: “It’s deeply concerning that sexual harassment training and wider training on gender-based violence are not prioritised by NHS trusts … We can’t begin to challenge and prevent sexual harassment if people don’t know what it is or how to recognise it.”
Helga Pile, Unison’s deputy head of health, said: “Every employer should be training its staff to call out sexual harassment when they see colleagues being targeted. In the NHS, the pressures on staff are extreme, so making sure they’re trained and feel confident to challenge unacceptable behaviour is all the more important.
“NHS managers must step up, do more to protect staff and ensure there’s no place for any kind of inappropriate conduct by patients or other health workers.”
Kate Davies, the NHS director of sexual assault services commissioning, said: “We will work with the government and other partners to ensure the NHS is a safe space for all staff and patients. Local services must not tolerate sexual misconduct, violence, harassment or abuse – it is totally unacceptable.
“All NHS trusts and organisations must have robust measures in place to ensure immediate action is taken in any cases reported to them, and we’d encourage anyone who has experienced any misconduct or violence to come forward, report it and seek help – there is support and care available for anyone who needs it.
“Preventing these attacks from occurring in the first place is a priority and we have a programme of work dedicated to this and have appointed our first national clinical lead to drive forward action. Together we must do all we can to keep staff and patients in our services safe.”
