Charter to tackle sexual harassment across NHS in England has failed, say unions | NHS
A flagship strategy to tackle sexual harassment across the NHS in England has failed to improve the safety of female staff, according to legal experts and healthcare unions.
NHS sexual safety charterLaunched in September 2023, it was supposed to improve the way hospitals, GP surgeries and other organizations tackle sexual harassment. However, the UK-based charity Women’s Rights It said calls from NHS staff to its workplace sexual harassment advice line had increased significantly since the regulation came into force.
Laura Bolam, employment law officer at the charity, which provides free legal advice to 3,000 working women in England and Wales each year, said the number of women calling the NHS had doubled recently.
“In 2023, around 11% of our calls came from women working in the NHS, rising to 19% in 2024 and rising again to 22% in 2025. This shows that sexual harassment within NHS trusts is not only increasing but appears to be a deep-seated, systemic problem.”
All NHS organizations in England have signed the sexual safety charter, committing them to take a zero-tolerance approach to unwanted sexual behaviour. But an investigation by the Guardian has found that many trusts continue to report an incredibly low number of cases, particularly of employees sexually assaulting or sexually harassing colleagues and other staff.
Responses to freedom of information requests from 212 NHS trusts in England revealed over 1,200 cases of staff-to-staff sexual harassment from 2022-23 to 2024-25. More than two thirds (93) of acute trusts reported fewer than three incidents of sexual harm by staff against other staff over these three years, while 24 recorded no incidents.
But inside Latest annual NHS staff survey3.7% of employees said they had been the target of unwanted sexual behavior from colleagues. Given that the NHS in England employs 1.5 million people, this would equate to a claimed 54,900 victims in 2024 alone.
Bolam said there was little evidence that the contract improved the safety of female staff. “We continue to hear from women whose workplaces are not honoring their commitments,” she said. “Many people told us that their managers were unaware of the contract’s existence, let alone enforcing its provisions.
“Women have described their experiences, including rape, physical assault and ongoing verbal and sexual harassment by male colleagues. Women in lower-level roles, including nurses and paramedics, disproportionately contact us.”
The code requires NHS organizations to improve staff sexual harm records, following widespread criticism that hospitals are grossly under-reporting cases.
Respondents Royal College of Nursing (RCN) survey of the profession Last month they said they felt enforcement of the NHS sexual safety charter was “uneven and staff often lacked protection or clarity, particularly when abuse involved patients.”
RCN general secretary Prof Nicola Ranger said: “It has become increasingly clear that elements of the charter, including promoting a culture of openness and transparency, are not being adhered to or implemented effectively. The secretary of state and NHS leadership need to introduce a simplified, nationally standardized method for reporting sexual assault.”
BMA council vice president Dr. Emma Runswick said the charter’s commitment to a “zero tolerance” approach to sexual assault and harassment was meaningless without visible action and called for “clarity” on how NHS England will hold its workforce to account if they fail to protect them. “The discrepancy between recorded incidents and the experiences reported by staff demonstrates a profound lack of trust in current reporting processes,” he added.
All NHS trusts are legally required to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment under the Workers Protection Act; Even stronger duties in this regard will come into force under the Employment Rights Act.
“Meeting these obligations requires more than signing a contract; it requires consistent, transparent and enforceable action,” Runswick said.
Responding to the findings, a Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “Sexual harassment of all forms is unacceptable. Healthcare leaders must take robust, compassionate action to eliminate sexual abuse within their organizations and keep staff and patients safe. This includes ensuring staff can speak and be heard, and ensuring every incident is recorded and acted upon quickly.”
“Beyond the work we already do to tackle sexual harassment, we will also introduce a set of new staff standards for NHS staff this year, covering sexual safety in the workplace as well as tackling racism and reducing violence.
“Experiencing sexual misconduct can be extremely distressing and understandably difficult to report, which is why all trusts are now required to offer anonymous reporting routes to make this easier – three quarters of trusts already have this in place.
“Sexual violence or abuse has absolutely no place in healthcare and it is important that all NHS organizations adopt the measures set out in the newly launched sexual safety charter to ensure staff feel more supported to report incidents and confident that action will be taken.”
