GPs face “appalling and systemic” racism from patients and colleagues, a leaked NHS report has revealed.
The first Health Education England report for London of its kind says racism and discrimination are widespread within primary care across the capital, and GPs in other parts of the country have raised similar concerns.
Doctors speaking with The Independent have told stories of being called a “P***”, of staff leaving due to the bigotry they’ve faced, and of patients asking to see a “white” or “English” GP.
Senior GPs have warned patients will ultimately suffer as a result, as experienced doctors leave practices to avoid such abuse.
One in three primary health care workers – including GPs, pharmacists, dentists and optometrists – in the London survey said they had experienced racial discrimination or harassment from patients in the last 12 months, and one in five from the staff they work with.
Professor Simon Gregory, deputy medical director for Health Education England, said: “There is considerable evidence that the UK is systemically racist, and that the NHS is a systemically racist workplace.
“This report is shocking evidence of terrible, indeed appalling, levels of discrimination across protected characteristics and with much intersectionality, but especially shocking levels of racial discrimination.”
“The awful and painful narratives of so many colleagues over so many years cannot be ignored but thanks to London’s primary care educational leaders we now have firm evidence. Evidence that cannot be ignored.”
According to the report, which surveyed 1,000 workers, 39 per cent said they had faced discrimination from patients, while 29 per cent said they’d faced discrimination or harassment from colleagues.
Harassment or discrimination due to race was the most frequent reason given for experiences with both staff and patients. Gender was the second most commonly reported.
One staff member said: “My employers bullied me and made sexist and racist comments to me and other members of staff from the same mixed background as myself. They commented on my religion and would say I’m going to hell because I don’t believe what they believe. They failed my probation with no valid reason.”
Another said: “Racism can come from minority groups. The [ethnic minority] practice manager paid the black admin staff significantly less than the white staff, and often less than minimum wage.
“She waged a systematic campaign against me. This eventually triggered an episode of major depression. I took sick leave and left the practice.”
The problem stretches beyond the London area surveyed, with care providers in other parts of the country sharing their experience of discrimination at work.
‘Why do I need to see a P***?’
A senior GP in Yorkshire, who asked not to be named, told The Independent he and his colleagues had experienced racial abuse.
He said: “Patients saying ‘Why do I need to see a P*** here? Why can’t I see somebody who is white or English?’ Receptionists being asked “is there a white doctor?”
The senior GP added: “We lost two GPs, both moved. One is Asian, and other one is black. My Asian colleague left to work down south, they felt that their ethnicity wouldn’t be a big issue as much as up north. The second was a black doctor who emigrated to Canada.
“He said: ‘I’ve had enough of racism here, I can’t put up with this and the number of patient complaints’. So yes, it [racism] is driving doctors away from primary care, from secondary care. It is a concern because people don’t act on it. You know, the powers to be don’t act on it.”
Dr Kamal Sidhu, GP chair for the British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, warned of the knock-on effect for patients.
The BAPIO GP chair said the issue of racism within general practice has “a real, harmful impact on patient safety.
“A real adverse impact in the sense that you’re much more likely to lose that practitioner from the system… if they’re not able to practice, or leave, who is going to look after that group of patients?
While speaking with GPs accross the country, several raised the problem of discrimination faced by regulators such as the Care Quality Commission, which admitted in a report earlier this year that inspections disadvantage minority ethnic run practices.
Call for independent whistleblowing
The report by NHS training regulator Health Education England includes a series of recommendations to tackle the problem.
These include the need for independent whistleblowing bodies for primary care staff to contact in order to share their concerns.
GP practices in London will be asked to sign up to a promise to promote race equality and meet certain standards, suppoted by HEE and the NHS.
It follows another report by the British Medical Association that warned of “debilitating” levels of racism within the NHS.
Dr Naureen Bhatti, primary care lead for workforce race equality and differential attainment at Health Education England London, who led on the project said: “This is the first ever London-wide survey of discrimination and harassment in primary care, which is where 90 per cent of NHS consultations take place.
“A number of those taking part reported being victims of discrimination both in the workplace and in the communities they serve.
“While this is hard to hear, it is valuable knowledge that can help us explore the underlying issues and take clear and effective steps to address them.”
She added that a London Primary care workforce race plan had set out actions in response to the survey, adding: “Post pandemic, the workforce is under more pressure than ever before so understanding the realities and experiences of the people delivering and supporting critical services is vital to close the gap on health inequalities and improve the experiences of the workforce and the population.”
