Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to address the increase in racial abuse towards NHS workers.

Any form of racism or discrimination is unacceptable and has no place in our National Health Service.

Action is being taken to address racism and discrimination in the NHS. This includes an urgent review by Lord John Mann into antisemitism and other forms of racism, which was published on 4 June 2026 and contains a programme of recommendations across the NHS and UK health regulatory system to help stamp out racism in the NHS.

The Government published its response alongside the review and is supportive of all recommendations in the Mann report. The Government will be taking forward action to implement the recommendations that are for the Department and NHS England, and we are committed to working closely with system partners ahead of implementation to ensure that they are supported in delivering meaningful changes in line with the review’s findings.

Furthermore, as set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will introduce a new set of staff standards for modern employment which will include reducing violence against staff and tackling racism and sexual harassment. They will underpin the NHS Oversight Framework and act as an early warning signal for the Care Quality Commission.