NHS staff bear brunt as ‘ugly’ racism of 1970s and 1980s returns, says Streeting | NHS
“Ugly” racism reminiscent of the 1970s and 1980s has become alarmingly common again in modern Britain, and NHS staff are bearing the brunt of it, Wes Streeting has warned.
The Health Minister said incidents of verbal and physical abuse based on the color of people’s skin now occur so frequently that it has become “socially acceptable to be racist”.
In a joint interview with The Guardian alongside NHS England chief executive Jim McKee, Streeting told how he was “shocked” to hear NHS staff, particularly those working in A&E, tell increasing levels of harassment, aggression and violence when their care was delayed.
He advised the public to prepare for the NHS in England to be overwhelmed in the coming weeks due to the triple whammy of flu, Covid and a doctors’ strike as winter approaches, and acknowledged that patients would be put at risk by being trapped in transport trolleys or in the back of ambulances – situations known to increase the risk of harm and death.
“Even if you have a long wait, which I know is frustrating, or you feel like you’re being sent from pillar to post, which unfortunately happens, there’s no excuse to bring that up with employees,” Streeting said.
“But the thing that has shocked me more than anything else is the rising tide of racism and the way in which 1970s and 1980s-style racism is once again being tolerated in this country. I’m really shocked at the way this is now affecting NHS staff,” he said.
He also criticized unnamed politicians who condone racism, adding: “I am disgusted that the level of racism last seen when Britain was a very different country, 50 years ago, has made an ugly return, and I am frankly shocked by those in Parliament who have stooped to it.”
His statements come a week after the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) revealed an increase in the number of racist incidents suffered by nurses at work in recent years.
“I had a job,” Streeting added [MP] A colleague whose daughter – a resident doctor – works in a hospital where a man said he wanted to be treated only by white staff. Although she was Asian, she had slightly fair skin. A colleague said: Are you going to go and see if he will accept you? Really, she turned around and said, “No, I won’t do that, actually.” Go tell him that he either wants our care or he doesn’t, but he has no right to racial discrimination. She made the right call.
“The NHS is not immune to the prejudices of wider society, but we must have a zero tolerance for these matters [approach]. Your right to free health care in this country does not come with the freedom to mistreat our employees for any reason.
“We have to stop the racism in this country and we have to put those ugly racist sentiments that have been expressed in our country back in their box again and create a climate in this country again where it is not socially acceptable to be racist.”
Professor Nicola Ranger, chief executive of the RCN, backed Streeting’s comments about politicians stoking racial tensions. “The increase in racist abuse faced by staff is a disgrace to society and a disgrace to our NHS.
“Racism is a problem across society, and is particularly relevant in health and care services, with a diverse workforce. We must recognize that the increasing use of anti-immigrant rhetoric in politics encourages racist behaviour.”
Professor Habib Naqvi, chief executive of the NHS Race and Health Observatory, said: “It is shocking to see levels of racism within our communities and across modern Britain today – levels not seen for decades. We know our NHS is not immune to this scourge because it is a microcosm of wider society – what happens on our streets and within society affects the 1.5 million people who work in the NHS.”
Mackie and Stretching admitted that although NHS England is preparing for winter more comprehensively than ever before, some trusts are “struggling” to maintain normal service during the cold spell, with A&E units expected to see record numbers of people seeking care.
“I want to be honest with people, especially at a time when there is less trust in politics than money. When problems arise this winter, and problems will arise this winter, there will be hospitals with people on carts in the hallways.”
Mackie added that lane care – which Age UK graphically highlighted last week – is “one of the things that keeps me up at night” and “one of the horrific and visible signs of the drift in standards over recent years. It is completely unacceptable”.
He added: “I really hope we can manage it.” [winter] Good. But it is important to be realistic. There’s been a lot of flu, there’s been a lot of Covid, and the industrial action issue is a complication we could do without.
The four hospitals in Bristol and Weston-super-Mare have been in ‘serious incident’ status – meaning they are in a state of emergency – and receiving help from other NHS trusts since last Thursday due to “exceptionally high demand” for care.
Some hospitals, such as those in Lincolnshire, have asked patients, visitors and staff in some care areas to wear a face mask from next week to limit the spread of viruses.
Resident doctors – formerly junior – in England want a 29% pay rise. Tens of thousands of them are due to go on strike for five days from 14 November to seek their demands, in what will be their 13th strike since March 2023. Their last strike in July cost the NHS an estimated £250 million.
Streeting urged the British Medical Association, the main doctors’ union, to cancel the procedure scheduled for next week. He added that this is not justified because the salaries of resident doctors have increased by 28.9% over the past three years.
“The effect on him [strikes] It would be the winter that really worries me. Everyone will lose if this continues. Patients will suffer due to disruption and impact on service. Doctors and other NHS staff will suffer because they have to deal with the hangover of the disorder. This time it will be against the backdrop of winter. But the resident doctors themselves [will also] He added.