Nurses have reported 21,000 incidents of racist abuse over the last four years, a 78% surge, according to analysis from the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), released on Tuesday (19 May).
Ethnic minority nursing staff reported 6,812 incidents of racial abuse to the RCN’s advice line last year, rising from 3,652 in 2022.
The RCN recorded a new case of racial abuse every 77 minutes last year.
These figures should be a wake-up call for every NHS leader and HR professional, said Aggie Yemurai Mutuma, CEO of Mahogany Inclusion Partners, a DEI and anti-racism strategy consultancy.
Mutuma told HR magazine: “A 78% rise in reported incidents of racist abuse is not just a workforce issue, it is a systemic failure to protect the very people who care for others.
“Racism at work does not exist in isolation; it is shaped by culture, leadership and what organisations choose to tolerate.”
In response to the figures, inclusion confidence coach and leadership consultant Katie Allen, explained that from 2022 to 2025 “work will have been done to improve reporting processes and the understanding of black and brown nursing staff experiences, making it more likely they will report issues they may have previously left unreported”.
According to Paul Sesay, CEO of DEI consultancy Inclusive Companies, the findings reflect a reality many ethnic minority nursing professionals have been voicing for years.
Speaking to HR magazine, he said: “[These statistics] represent repeated harm, unsafe working environments, and a failure to protect those who care for others every day. No one should experience racism at work, particularly not in a sector built on compassion and dignity.”
To stamp out racism at work, Allen told HR magazine that HR must “work to understand how racism shows up in the workplace, generally and also specifically in their particular organisations”, and address the learning gaps that exist in most organisations when it comes to becoming actively anti-racist.
Allen gave examples to achieve this, such as holding listening sessions to gather specific insights, as well as “assessing processes and practices that might unintentionally contribute to harm”.
Calls to the RCN advice line included one nurse reporting that a patient and their family had racially abused an RCN member, stating that they did not want black people caring for their daughter.
Another nurse observing Ramadan and praying during shifts reported repeatedly hearing racist comments about Muslim staff and how they should not be allowed to pray.
HR has a critical role to play in actively dismantling the conditions that allow racism to persist, Mutuma stated. She explained: “This means moving beyond policy to accountability: clear consequences for perpetrators, consistent reporting mechanisms, and leadership that is visible, vocal, and unwavering in its stance.”
Advising HR teams on practical measures to introduce, Sesay suggested embedding zero-tolerance policies, challenging unacceptable behaviour, and ensuring consequences are consistent and transparent.
Sesay said: “Leadership plays a critical role here. Senior leaders must set the tone, demonstrate accountability, and be measured on progress in creating inclusive, anti-racist workplaces.”
Mutuma added: “Ultimately, anti-racism is not an initiative. It is a sustained commitment. The NHS cannot deliver equitable care if it does not first create a safe and equitable environment for its own people.”
The Royal College of Nursing sent a freedom of information (FOI) request to NHS Trusts and Health Boards across the UK and analysed their own database.