A third of BAME staff in NHS mental health services experience racist abuse at work | Race

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NHS leaders urged to tackle racist abuse of staff as new figures reveal that a third of black, Asian and ethnic minority workers in mental health trusts in England have been harassed, intimidation or attacks by patients, relatives or members of the public.

According to an analysis by the Royal College of Psychiatrists, one in three BAME staff (32.7%) in mental health facilities have experienced abuse. For BAME workers across the NHS, the rate is over one in four (28.9%).

A medical director told the Guardian that they had hot tea thrown at them because of the color of my skin. A psychiatrist recounted how they were traumatized after being racially abused and then threatened with a knife.

The college is now calling on health officials to take a stand against discrimination by putting in place better processes in NHS trusts to record and understand data on bullying and harassment.

Dr Adrian James, president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said the results were deeply concerning. He added: NHS leaders and local health officials must tackle this problem head-on.

One in five BAME members (19.6%) in NHS mental health trusts have experienced harassment, bullying or abuse at work by other colleagues. More than one in eight (13.2%) suffered abuse from their own managers, according to the analysis.

Evidence from multiple surveys shows that ethnic minority staff continue to suffer from racism and discrimination, said Dr Lade Smith, presidential racial equality officer at the college. Despite the best efforts of some employers, there has been little change over the years.

Healthcare leaders must begin to tackle the insidious racism and discrimination that can arise in the workplace, Smith added. They need to develop strong reporting processes, which staff can use with confidence, aimed at supporting demonstrable improvements.

BAME staff working in mental health trusts who had suffered racist abuse said the effects often lasted a long time.

Lincoln-based medical director Dr Ananta Dave said: Patients and their families have often refused to accept that I was the doctor or that I was conducting an assessment because of my skin color and would ask to see a real doctor.

She added: I have been the victim of racist abuse before and threatened with a knife. I was very scared and traumatized and needed to see a health professional and seek therapy.

Discrimination from colleagues is less visible than that from patients, but it is common. I am often mistaken for the tea lady or the note taker when I am in high level meetings.

Some people don’t even bother to try to pronounce my name and say hello to me while calling everyone else present by name. It is insulting, disrespectful and incredibly disheartening.

A Midlands psychiatrist said they have often experienced racial violence from their own patients. I was once thrown with hot tea because of the color of my skin, they added.

With colleagues, it’s much more subtle. I have had the experience of being excluded from the workplace culture, as I am outside the group. It was normal for collections to be organized for the birth of children of white colleagues, but when my daughter was born, no collection was organized. The feeling that I was not part of the team and that I was not part of the team was quite overwhelming and has stuck with me until now.

Across the NHS in England, more BAME staff also report experiencing discrimination and are less likely to believe their organization offers a level playing field compared to white employees, survey data shows of the NHS.

Over the past year, all NHS staff faced tremendous pressure in the face of the pandemic. Almost a fifth are considering leaving the health service, according to NHS data.

It found that 16.7% of BAME staff reported experiencing discrimination at work from a manager, team leader or other colleague in the past 12 months, compared to 14.5% in 2019. This against 6.2% of white staff, against 6% in 2019.

He also revealed that BAME staff were less likely to think their organization offers a level playing field compared to white employees. More than two-thirds (69%) of BAME staff said their organization provides equal opportunities, up from 71% the previous year and 73% in 2016.

Prerana Issar, NHS Englands staff manager, said: There is never an excuse for racism or any form of discrimination, describing abuse and unfair treatment as unacceptable. She added that NHS organizations should continue to take action on the results, to tackle discrimination.

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