A Poll of Sor Members Found Some Staff Feel Forced to "Accept" Such Abuse As Part of the Job

NHS racism is on the rise, with staff facing abuse like being called "monkeys" and patients refusing treatment from non-white professionals, experts say. The Society of Radiographers (SoR) flagged a "noticeable" increase in racist incidents over the past 18 months, including slurs like "dirty foreigners" and xenophobic remarks about immigrants taking jobs. A poll of SoR members found some staff feel forced to "accept" such abuse as part of the job.

Dean Rogers, SoR executive director, called the rise "unconscionable and unacceptable, stressing that discrimination has no place in the NHS. The SoR urges the NHS to record and monitor racist incidents. Workers reported patients complaining about staff skin colour, refusing acknowledgment, and using derogatory terms.

One sonographer said a white man refused to let a non-white colleague scan his pregnant wife, saying: "I don't want anyone from any ethnic background touching my woman. Another patient refused a black radiographer for a chest X-ray, citing fear of Black people. Paul Awah, a Bedfordshire radiographer from Nigeria, said patients claim not to understand his English, and on three occasions questioned his ability to cannulate, implying a Black man shouldn't handle complex cases.

An Asian sonographer in the Midlands noted patients blaming immigrants for job losses, adding that racist incidents have grown with media and political rhetoric. Awah said people now openly blame immigrants for cost-of-living and energy crises. Rogers added that racist behaviours undermine patient care and called for accountability to make the NHS safe and inclusive. The latest NHS Staff Survey, published in March, shows discrimination from patients at a five-year high: 9.26 per cent of staff in 2025 reported experiencing it, up from 9.25 per cent in 2024, 8.57 per cent in 2023, 8.38 per cent in 2022, and 7.91 per cent in 2021.