Racist abuse against NHS staff has reached its highest recorded level in five years, according to official survey data, with radiographers describing patients calling colleagues 'monkeys' and 'dirty foreigners'. The NHS Staff Survey found that 9.26 per cent of workers reported experiencing discrimination from patients or the public in 2025, up from 9.25 per cent the previous year and continuing a steady climb from 7.91 per cent in 2021.