Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Sexual Harassment of UK Doctors: Report 2019 published by Medscape on 1 October 2019, what steps his Department is taking to safeguard junior doctors and medical students against sexual harassment at work.

Employers are responsible for protecting their staff from sexual harassment by members of the public or other staff members. For doctors in training and medical students, this will include senior clinicians, educational supervisors and managers of training programmes. They are responsible for ensuring that their organisations provide supportive working environments that prioritise patient safety, educational outcomes and staff wellbeing.

Sexual harassment, a form of unlawful discrimination, should not be tolerated under any circumstances so staff who believe they have been subjected to it should report the incident(s). Employers should ensure they fully support these staff and work with them to ensure appropriate legal action is taken against perpetrators.