People who are racist towards NHS staff “can and should” be turned away, the Health Secretary has said.
Wes Streeting condemned the “mindless thuggery” seen across Britain in the aftermath of the Southport stabbings over the past week. As far-right violence spread between towns and cities, Filipino nurses were attacked on Friday night while travelling to work for emergency cover during unrest in Sunderland.
Speaking to the PA news agency, Mr Streeting said those who attacked the nurses “brought enormous shame on our country”. According to reports, the taxi they were travelling in was pelted with rocks, leaving them “terrified”, the Mirror reported, though they were physically unharmed.
“I will not tolerate, under any circumstances, NHS or social care staff in any health or care setting being subjected to intimidation, harassment, or racist abuse,” Mr Streeting said. “We have a zero-tolerance policy in the NHS and we will adopt a zero-tolerance approach in social care as well. People who are abusing NHS staff can be turned away, and should be turned away, if that is how they are treating our staff.”
He added that the country is “lucky” to have people in the NHS who “come from around the world to provide great, compassionate care”. “I am proud that we have these people in Britain. I believe the vast majority of Brits are too,” he said. “And those people who have hijacked our flag for their mindless, racist thuggery – they have no understanding of this country’s history or heritage, and they have brought enormous shame on our country by attacking NHS staff in this way.”
Professor Nicola Ranger, General Secretary and Chief Executive of the Royal College of Nursing, said guidance on when and how patients can be refused care has been updated. This follows a warning from GP leaders to family doctors amid reports that staff had been “targeted” during attacks. Family doctors and their teams have been urged to “remain vigilant, particularly when travelling to and from work”.
The Royal College of GPs (RCGP) highlighted the “horrific and unacceptable” abuse and violence towards healthcare workers, “especially those from ethnic minorities”. The RCGP urged staff to travel in groups “where possible” and to try to avoid areas where there is known unrest. Meanwhile, two GP surgeries in northeast London have said they are planning to shut early on Wednesday due to potential unrest in the area.
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