NHS staff who visit patients at home say St George’s flags can mean ‘no-go zones’ | NHS
NHS staff caring for patients in their own homes fear some areas could become “no-go zones” for them due to the presence of St George’s flags, health leaders have said.
Black and Asian staff are feeling “deliberately intimidated” by flags that went up in many parts of England over the summer, according to the chief executive of an NHS trust in England, who asked to remain anonymous.
“During the time the flags were raised, we saw deliberate intimidation of our staff, a large minority of black and Asian staff,” he said.
“I felt like the flags were creating no-go zones. It made them feel that way, too. And you add to that the real autonomous work, the real courage of working in people’s homes, in the environment… [where] It feels like a space designed to exclude them.”
He said he intimidated his staff, adding that “in most cases I honestly think it’s designed to feel that way.”
The statement comes a week after health secretary Wes Streeting said NHS staff were bearing the brunt of the return of “ugly” racism reminiscent of the 1970s and 1980s.
The chief executive of a second foundation said that “having flags flying everywhere creates another kind of intimidation and anxiety for many people.”
They explained that one of their employees, who is white and has mixed-race children, asked some people who were hanging flags to move so he could park his car.
“The individuals filmed what was happening and then followed him and he continued to be harassed for several days, not because he objected to the flags but because he was making them uncomfortable.”
The Ministry of Health and Social Services recommended that healthcare personnel who are subjected to threats or attacks against themselves or their families should report the situation to the police.
The Royal College of Nursing said the fear created by the flags was part of a wider worrying picture. The union’s general secretary, Prof Nicola Ranger, said: “A sustained campaign of anti-immigrant rhetoric is fueling a growing pit of racism, including against international and minority ethnic care staff, without whom our health and care system would cease to function altogether.
“Workers in society feel particularly vulnerable and employers have a duty to ensure their protection.
“After facing further racial unrest over the summer, it is no surprise that increasing numbers of nursing staff are reporting feeling unsafe, especially when having to work on their own and often at night.
A DHSC spokesman said: “There is no place for intimidation, racism or harassment in our country or our NHS. Instances of threats or aggression towards staff or their families should be reported to the police.”
“Our flags represent our history, heritage and values. They are the symbol of our nation and belong to all of us, not just some of us.”
Meanwhile, NHS bosses fear a five-day strike by junior doctors in England starting on Friday – the 13th strike since March 2023 – could “crush” signs that the health service is starting to recover.
“Further strikes now could crush this fragile, hard-won progress and destroy a once-in-a-generation opportunity to fix the health service,” said Daniel Elkeles, chief executive of hospital group NHS Providers.
