NHS racism surge as Black nurse says 'patient told me they want white nurse'

More than 21,000 incidents of racist abuse were reported by nursing staff across the UK over the last four years - surging by 78% in that time, grim research shows.

Nurses said they face horrific racist slurs while at work, according to research carried out by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN). The leading union said racism was being able to “flourish” in the NHS, as they warned the shocking study is just the “tip of the iceberg”.

In 2025, nursing staff reported 6,812 incidents of racial abuse while working in NHS Trusts and Health Boards across the UK, rising from 3,652 in 2022, the RCN said. The union warned the true figures are expected to be “far worse” as dozens of trusts and boards did not respond to its Freedom of Information (FOI) requests.

It also warned many nursing staff will not report incidents due to a lack of faith in their employer or fear of retaliation.

Black nurse Neomi Bennett told The Mirror patients have told her they want a “white nurse” to treat them or that they don’t want her touching them. The community nurse, who works in southwest London, said the rise in abuse was a “reflection” of British society, as she pointed to Tommy Robinson’s far-right Unite the Kingdom march at the weekend.

The 53-year-old told The Mirror: “I've experienced it personally. I've had patients that have told me that they don't want me touching them. I've been working on a hospital ward before where a patient said that they wanted a white nurse.”

RCN’s research also highlighted examples of a nurse being racially abused by a patient and having a hot drink thrown in their face, or a patient posting on social media criticising hospital staff not being “white or British”.

Calls to the royal College of Nursing included a nurse who claimed a patient’s family said they did not want black people caring for their daughter, as well as one who was told by a senior colleague that they did not like Indian people. One nurse observing Ramadan said they had heard comments about Muslim staff and how they should not be allowed to pray.

Around 75,000 internationally educated nursing staff have arrived in the UK in the past five years, according to the RCN. Labour and Reform UK have both put forward draconian plans to limit legal immigration in the UK, including changes to Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), which could affect nurses.

Neomi, who founded the campaign group Equality4BlackNurses in 2020, said the Covid pandemic had exacerbated racism in the NHS, recalling how she was forced to use plastic bin bags as PPE for her braided hair, as well as the disproportionate numbers of Black and minority ethnic NHS staff who died.

But she also pointed to immigration policies and far-right politics, saying: “It's a reflection of what is going on in British society. The march Unite the Kingdom - it reflects that. I think on Saturday we took so many calls from people that are having these problems at work and it definitely seems like processes, policies, and procedures are being used to control some form of immigration.

“Most of the nurses that are facing problems are here working on a tier-two visa, so they've legally come into the country. But we don't believe that it's about immigrants. It's about Black and Brown people full stop.”

The RCN has consistently criticised the use of anti-migrant rhetoric by politicians, saying it has helped to embolden racist behaviour. It has also said the UK government was making a bad situation worse by "scapegoating" migrant nursing staff, including plans to double the time people qualify for ILR from five to 10 years.

Speaking from Liverpool at RCN's annual congress, the union's general secretary Professor Nicola Ranger will today hit out at the failure of NHS Trusts and Health Boards to sufficiently collect data on racist abuse. And she will demand standardised and streamlined incident reporting to be delivered across NHS employers.

Last night, she said: “Nursing staff are the lifeblood of our NHS and social care too, made up of every nationality and ethnicity, coming together to care for patients every day. They are a shining example of a successful, multi-cultural modern United Kingdom, and they deserve better than for this disgusting racism and abuse to flourish and become so normalised.”

Duncan Burton, Chief Nursing Officer for England, said: “Racism against NHS staff is totally unacceptable - all local organisations must take a zero-tolerance approach to discrimination, taking action including police involvement and criminal prosecution as appropriate.

“We would encourage any staff that experience or witness racist incidents to report them so that action can be taken. It is essential that all staff feel safe to speak up and confident that action will be taken, and the NHS has set out targeted action required by local organisations including reviewing disciplinary processes and providing protection and comprehensive psychological support for anyone reporting concerns.”