Helpline sees ‘shocking surge’ in nurses reporting racist abuse

An advice line for nursing staff has seen a ‘shocking surge’ in complaints of racism at work, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has revealed.

New analysis from the RCN shows a 55% rise in racist incidents reported to its helpline in the last three years.

The RCN projects that more than 1,000 such calls will be made in 2025 alone – a sharp rise from nearly 700 in 2022, around 800 in 2023, and more than 900 in 2024.

The data includes reports from nurses and healthcare support workers in both the NHS and the independent health and social care sectors.

The union says it is now receiving an average of three calls a day – or 90 calls a month – from ethnic minority nursing staff across the UK who are seeking advice and support after being racially abused or discriminated against at work.

Many incidents going unreported

Union leaders warn the true scale of the problem is likely to be far greater, as many cases go unreported.

According to the RCN, staff often only seek advice when the discrimination is severe enough to require legal or formal intervention.

During 2025, one ethnic minority nurse working in the UK reported a manager saying, ‘then you shouldn’t come to the UK’, after they made a leave request which had been unfairly denied.

Another RCN member reported their employer failing to act after they had been consistently racially abused by a patient, with the nurse being referred to as a ‘creature’ and having their name and accent mocked.

Another nurse reported a fellow member of staff making several racist remarks towards the RCN member and their colleagues, including saying about black people that ‘you can only see their teeth when it is dark’.

The findings follow another wave of racist disorder and anti-migrant protests this summer, which the RCN says could have ‘emboldened people to abuse minority ethnic and migrant staff’.

‘Absolutely disgusting’

RCN general secretary and chief executive, Professor Nicola Ranger, said the racist incidents were ‘absolutely disgusting’.

‘Every single ethnic minority nursing professional deserves to go to work without fear of being abused and employers have a legal duty to ensure workplaces are safe,’ she said.

‘These findings must refocus minds in the fight against racism.

‘If health and care employers fail to make their workplaces a safe environment for nursing staff, it is unsurprising that those same staff leave, and their services are less safely staffed.’

She added: ‘Employers must prioritise tackling racism and work with trade unions to develop stronger mechanisms to protect staff.’

The RCN has called on employers to prioritise tackling racism in the workplace and to work with unions to introduce more protections for staff.

The college also warned the government and politicians to stop their use of ‘anti-migrant rhetoric’, which it says is putting staff at risk. Earlier this month, the RCN signed a joint statement with other health unions, urging politicians to put an end to a ‘sustained campaign of anti-migrant rhetoric’.

The RCN has also condemned the government’s plans to double the period that nursing staff must wait to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain from five years to 10 years, calling it ‘pandering of the worst kind’.

In June, data from the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) found that overseas nurse recruitment had fallen for the first time in six years.

Last summer, some Filipino nurses had rocks thrown at them on their way to deliver emergency care cover in Sunderland.

In the same period, some general practices were forced to close early due to protect staff including general practice nurses (GPNs).