New Programme to Tackle NHS Bullying, Harassment and Abuse Announced

A 16-month programme aimed at closing the ethnicity gap in bullying, harassment and abuse claims has been announced by the NHS Race and Health Observatory.

The independent organisation will work with the University of Birmingham, the University of Sheffield, and the NIHR Yorkshire and Humber Patient Safety Research Collaboration to deliver a new work programme. It will use a mixed-methods study to analyse NHS staff survey data and create a series of recommendations and resources aimed at tackling this issue from an ethnicity perspective.

Despite ongoing efforts, for decades Black, Asian and ethnic minority staff who represent almost 30% of the NHS workforce have faced rampant levels of bullying and harassment in the workplace which continues to date.

According to the latest NHS Workforce Race Equality Standard Report, in 2023, 89% of NHS hospital trusts reported a higher proportion of Black and minority ethnic staff compared to white staff experiencing harassment, bullying or abuse from staff in  the last 12 months.

To address this long-standing challenge, the programme of work – which also seeks to reduce the overall levels of bullying, harassment and abuse across all staff – will include:

• Presentation of detailed survey data at regional, Integrated Care Board, and NHS hospital trust levels. These data will be segmented by census classification or six broad ethnic categories (White, Asian, Black, Mixed, Other Ethnic Group, and Unknown);
• Desk research looking at analyses of historical NHS Staff Survey data; comparing NHS hospital trusts and regions on bullying and harassment rates, whilst detailed case studies will explore the best performing NHS hospital trusts which are reducing incidents of bullying and harassment;
• Recognition of trends over time across different staff groups;
• Identification of evidence-based good practice in tackling bullying, harassment and abuse across the NHS; and
• An overview of the existing key evidence-based strategies NHS organisations can adopt to tackle bullying, harassment and abuse in the workplace.

Insights from this programme of work will also lead to the development of actionable recommendations and resources that will help ensure organisations reduce overall levels of bullying harassment and abuse. In addition, interviews and focus groups will be factored, ensuring deeper observations to understand the influence of leadership, culture, organisational HR policies, and other interventions.

The final programme report will provide an outline of improvement targets and ambitions for individual NHS hospital trusts, ICB’s and NHS regions.

Owen Chinembiri, Assistant Director, Workforce, NHS Race and Health Observatory, said:

“Bullying, harassment and abuse continue to have a deeply damaging impact on staff wellbeing and contribute to a culture of fear. Crucially, we see significant disparities in how these behaviours affect different ethnic groups across the NHS. Black, Asian and minority ethnic staff are disproportionately represented in lower pay bands and often report worse workplace experiences than their White colleagues.

“It is vital that staff are supported to tackle bullying and harassment in all its forms. A key component of this work will be the development of improvement targets and ambitions for individual hospital trusts, ICBs and regions – ensuring greater accountability and drive where progress is lacking.”

There is also a clear business case for the NHS and wider society – tackling bullying and harassment in the NHS can save the healthcare system millions of pounds lost in litigation, agency spend and cover for staff unable to work due to stress and sick days.

This work represents a critical step toward creating a more inclusive, supportive, and equitable NHS workforce that will help deliver the NHS’ new 10 Year Health Plan.

Professor Habib Naqvi, Chief Executive, NHS Race and Health Observatory, said:

“We’re extremely pleased to be working with the University of Birmingham, University of Sheffield, and the NIHR Yorkshire and Humber Patient Safety Research Collaboration to deliver this vital programme of work. Bullying, harassment and abuse have no place within the NHS – an organisation that was established to provide compassion and care to others, and yet these behaviours have become deeply entrenched and, in some cases, are increasing.

“Every organisation must uphold a zero-tolerance approach to discriminatory behaviour, yet we continue to witness repeated failures to enforce these standards – negatively affecting staff experience and patient care. This work is critical to supporting the development of meaningful, evidence-based solutions to improve inclusivity and civility across the NHS.”

Dr. Justin Aunger, Research Fellow and Project Lead, NIHR Midlands Patient Safety Research Collaboration at the University of Birmingham, said:

“Our previous research on bullying, harassment, and abuse has highlighted the persistent, unacceptable gap in experiences for ethnic minority staff and the urgent need to understand and address it. We are delighted to work with the Race and Health Observatory, and our colleagues at the University of Sheffield and the NIHR Yorkshire Patient Safety Research Collaboration, on this important project.

“Using a mixed-methods approach, we will analyse NHS staff survey data to uncover contributing factors and set achievable targets for NHS Trusts. We will also amplify staff voices from Trusts across the country that are often marginalised (or unheard), to identify what truly makes a difference on the ground. As the NHS workforce becomes ever more diverse, ensuring all staff feel valued and supported is essential for staff wellbeing and patient safety.”

Professor of Health Management, Jeremy Dawson, from the University of Sheffield, said:

“Given recent news stories about increasing racism in the NHS, it is becoming increasingly vital to work to reduce the negative consequences for NHS staff from ethnic minorities. Research has shown that these negative experiences have substantial impacts not only on their own well-being, but also the quality of care delivered to patients.

“Using NHS workforce data we will pinpoint problem areas where interventions can be best targeted and work to identify potential solutions that can be implemented across NHS Trusts to help close the gap in experience between different staff groups to ensure a healthy working environment for the people who dedicate their careers to being there for us in our own times of need.”

Dr. Olivia Joseph, Safety Equity Senior Research Fellow at the NIHR Yorkshire and Humber Patient Safety Research Collaboration, said:

“When staff are ignored, undermined or spoken to with disrespect, it chips away at trust, communication and teamwork, the very foundations of safe care. These are not just people problems; they are safety problems. Using a reflective, evidence-based approach allows us to work together with racially minoritised staff to evaluate which actions genuinely make a difference, build the evidence for sustainable improvement, and support NHS teams to respond effectively. This collaboration is an important step towards turning awareness into fair, practical change that protects both staff and patients.”

In August, the Observatory announced the first ever comprehensive review of an ethnicity pay and progression gap across the NHS, with work led by Professor Carol Woodhams (Professor of Human Resource Management at the University of Surrey), and Professor Doyin Atewologun at the University of Exeter and CEO of leadership and inclusion consultancy, Delta).

Since September, the Observatory has hosted a series of ‘Fairer Futures’ roadshows, which run through to November 2025, and form part of a larger programme of work to tackle workforce race inequalities in the NHS.