Hospital bosses in Newcastle have pledged tougher action against racist abuse after admitting that “far too many” NHS staff have experienced discrimination while caring for patients.
Leaders at Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said racism directed at employees, including abuse from patients, would no longer be tolerated as they review the trust’s anti-racism action plan.
The commitment was made during a meeting of Newcastle’s Health and Wellbeing Board on 23 July, where Caroline Docking, Director of Communications and Corporate Affairs, said staff had shared too many experiences of racism in the workplace.
She told councillors: “We need to be really clear about the way we manage those issues when they are raised and change the standard of what is acceptable. It is just not acceptable to have staff experience the kind of things they tell us about at the moment.”
The discussion followed findings from the 2025 NHS Staff Survey, which revealed a gap between staff confidence in the quality of patient care and their willingness to recommend the trust as a place to work.
Around 75% of staff said they would be happy for a friend or family member to receive treatment at the trust, which runs the Royal Victoria Infirmary and Freeman Hospital. However, fewer than 60% said they would recommend it as a workplace.
The survey also found that 43% of Newcastle hospital staff who responded to questions on race discrimination reported experiencing discrimination because of their ethnicity.
Ms Docking said tackling racism required more than simply making commitments. “It has been really helpful to hear from staff who have experienced that, on a greater or lesser basis, for several years and seen it as being accepted,” she said.
“We have said, as a board, that it is not acceptable but we need to follow it up with practical action.”
The latest survey also highlighted differences in experiences of harassment and abuse among staff from different ethnic backgrounds.
Among white staff, 21.86% reported experiencing harassment, bullying or abuse from patients, relatives or members of the public during the previous 12 months. That figure increased to 26.93% among staff from all other ethnic groups.
Harassment by fellow NHS employees was also higher among ethnic minority staff, with 27.84% reporting such experiences compared with just over 20% of white staff.
The trust said it is reviewing its anti-racism strategy as part of wider efforts to improve staff wellbeing and create a more inclusive workplace.
