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BBC News1 min read
'Patients have tried to punch me because of my skin colour'
TL;DR
Reports of NHS staff facing increased racial abuse from patients have surged, with incidents of both verbal and physical attacks. Nurse Tito Vicario shares his experiences of being targeted multiple times at Sunderland Royal Hospital.
Key points
- Significant rise in reports of NHS staff racial abuse
- NHS workers face verbal and physical attacks
- Nurse Tito Vicario reports multiple incidents
- Patients have attempted to punch or slap staff
- Incidents are more frequent than ever
Mentioned in this story
Tito VicarioNHSSunderland Royal Hospital
There has been a significant rise in reports of NHS staff being racially abused by patients, the BBC has found. Workers say they are being physically and verbally attacked because of their ethnicity more often than ever.
Nurse Tito Vicario says, in the two years he has worked at Sunderland Royal Hospital, he has been racially abused by patients multiple times.
"Whenever I feel like it's going to happen again I feel my heart racing," he says.
The abuse is often verbal but, in extreme cases, he says he has been physically attacked.
"There are times where some patients will try to punch you or slap you," he says.
"It affects you not just physically but mentally as well."
In one incident Vicario, who is originally from the Philippines, was on the receiving end of a highly offensive racial slur. The patient's mortified family immediately apologised but the damage had been done, Vicario says, and such experiences leave him feeling powerless, anxious and nervous.
On another occasion, he says he was racially abused by a female patient who refused to take medication from him.
"They try to say these things to release their anger and anxiety but we're not punching bags, we're still people," he says.
"You can't hit back, just smile.
"You just take it."
The BBC submitted Freedom of Information requests to all NHS hospital and mental health trusts in England to ask how many times staff had reported being racially abused by a patient.
From the 106 trusts which provided data, there were 8,235 such reports in 2024, a 17% increase on the 7,002 reports in 2023. Several trusts did not record reports of racism prior to 2023, meaning older comparison figures are not available, but campaigners claim the issue has been growing for several years.
Staff being encouraged to report incidents could have contributed to some of the rise, however the total figure, which includes physical and non-physical incidents, could be higher because not all trusts provided data.
The founder of the campaign group Equality 4 Black Nurses, Neomi Bennett, says a "really concerning" number of incidents go unreported.
"In our research around 67% chose not to report," she says, adding that some health workers "don't trust the system to protect them".
"Some of the nurses that have approached us have ended up going to work in retail or into sales or something which is less risky than nursing," she says.
Many foreign nurses had also returned to their home country "because they can't take it anymore".
Ishaan, who is originally from India, has answered 111 and 999 calls for the North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) for the last two years. The BBC has agreed not to use his real name or his photograph because of fears they could attract more abuse.
Callers sometimes say they "want to speak to an English person, we don't want to speak to you", he says, or they tell him to "go back to where you came from, you have taken everything from us".
Q&A
What has caused the rise in racial abuse against NHS staff?
The rise in racial abuse against NHS staff is attributed to a growing number of reports highlighting both verbal and physical attacks based on ethnicity.
How often do NHS staff experience racial abuse from patients?
NHS staff, including nurses like Tito Vicario, report experiencing racial abuse multiple times during their tenure, indicating a troubling trend.
What types of racial abuse are NHS workers facing?
NHS workers are facing both verbal abuse and physical attacks, with some patients attempting to punch or slap staff members.
Where did nurse Tito Vicario experience racial abuse?
Nurse Tito Vicario experienced racial abuse while working at Sunderland Royal Hospital over the past two years.
