RCS England response to NHS Staff Survey results

NHS Staff Survey results published today show that almost 9% of all NHS staff and 18% of medical and dental staff in training have been the target of unwanted sexual behaviour in the NHS from patients, service users, their relatives or other members of the public.  The data also shows that nearly 4% of NHS staff have been the target of unwanted sexual behaviour from staff/colleagues in the NHS.  

Professor Vivien Lees, Vice President of the Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England) and lead on sexual misconduct, responded to the findings: 
 
“For the first time, the NHS Staff Survey asked respondents if they had been the target of unwanted behaviour of a sexual nature in the workplace. Gathering this data is an important step as it gives us a better picture of the scale of the problem.  
 
“It is essential that staff members feel empowered to report instances of misconduct without fear of reprisal or negative impact on their career progression. They also need to feel confident that reports will be believed. As an important first step, we have written to NHS Trusts that haven’t yet signed the NHS sexual safety in healthcare charter, encouraging them to do so as soon as possible.  RCS England is actively lobbying accountable government and NHS organisations on the Working Party on Sexual Misconduct in Surgery (WPSMS) recommendations including the need for reforms of reporting and investigation processes.

“There is absolutely no place in healthcare for these abhorrent behaviours. RCS England is committed to a zero-tolerance approach to sexual misconduct, and we will actively work to eradicate this behaviour in surgery and healthcare.  The charter, which we have signed, requires healthcare organisations to ensure appropriate policies and reporting mechanisms are in place for sexual misconduct.”  
 
ENDS 
 
Notes to editors: 
 
1. https://www.nhsstaffsurveys.com/results/national-results/ - 8.67% of NHS staff have been the target of unwanted sexual behaviour in the NHS from patients, service users, their relatives or other members of the public. 3.84% of staff said that they had been the target of at least one incident of unwanted behaviour of a sexual nature in the workplace in the last 12 months.
 
2. Since the publication of The Working Party on Sexual Misconduct in Surgery’s (WPSMS) report Breaking the Silence: Addressing Sexual Misconduct in Healthcare and the in-depth study published by the British Journal of Surgery, we have redoubled our efforts to stamp out sexual misconduct, sexual harassment, and sexual assault. You can read more about the work RCS England is doing on sexual misconduct here: https://www.rcseng.ac.uk/about-the-rcs/about-our-mission/diversity/sexual-misconduct-in-surgery/

3. Our role as a Royal College is rooted in education, awareness and standard setting. We are also committed to developing and signposting impactful, targeted resources and training on being an active bystander, with specific reference to incidents of sexual misconduct.
 
4. The Royal College of Surgeons of England provides world-class education, assessment, and development to 30,000 surgeons, dental professionals, and members of the wider surgical and dental care teams, at all stages of their careers. Our vision is to see excellent surgical care for everyone. We do this by setting professional standards, facilitating research and championing the best outcomes for patients.
 
5. For more information, please contact the Press Office: Telephone: 020 7869 6053/6054/6047; Email: pressoffice@rcseng.ac.uk; Out-of-hours media enquiries: 0207 869 6056.