New data reveals rise in racial abuse towards nursing staff

Emily Price 

Health leaders and politicians have been accused of allowing racism to “flourish” within the NHS after new figures revealed a rise in incidents of racist abuse reported by nursing staff.

Details released by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) on Tuesday (May 19) showed that more than 21,000 incidents of racist abuse were reported across the UK over the last four years.

In Wales, 342 incidents of racial abuse were reported between 2022 and 2025 – a figure that has risen by 93% since 2022, from 59 in 2022, 81 in 2023, 84 in 2024 and 114 in 2025.

The majority of cases across health boards in Wales year on year were from patients and service users towards nursing staff.

The RCN warned that these findings are just the “tip of the iceberg”.

Released on the second day of its annual Congress, the figures come from freedom of information requests made to NHS trusts and health boards across the UK.

Only 4 out of the 8 Welsh health boards contacted were able to provide credible data, therefore the real figure is likely to be much higher, in line with the rest of the UK.

The nursing union said that the data does not account for the fact that many nursing staff will not report incidents due to a lack of faith in their employer to act against it, fear of retaliation, or because the culture of racial abuse is routinely normalised.

The RCN is urging health leaders and governments across the UK, including the new Welsh Government to deliver standardised and streamlined incident reporting across NHS employers; recording staff role, work area and ethnicity of the person reporting the racist abuse.

‘Scapegoating’

The union says this will allow NHS Trusts to spot patterns, areas of risk and implement proactive prevention measures to stop future cases.

The union also warned that the use of anti-migrant rhetoric by politicians has helped to “embolden” racist behaviour, and accused the UK government of “scapegoating” migrant nursing staff after changing the rules on Indefinite Leave to Remain.

In Wales, the Anti-Racist Wales Action Plan was originally created in 2021 and, in its 2026 update, sets out that “The NHS Wales National Workforce Safety Board is working to reduce racism, improve reporting of discrimination, and ensure fair implementation of the Speaking Up Safely framework”.

The update also said that “new violence and aggression prevention standards” were soon to be published by the NHS Wales Anti-Violence Collaborative.

RCN Wales says it will be holding the new Plaid Cymru Welsh Government accountable in delivering on these aims.

The second annual Workforce Race Equality Standard report for 2024–25 also highlighted concerns over internal racial discrimination, including the underrepresentation of ethnic minority staff in senior leadership roles, persistent barriers to career progression, and a disproportionate number of disciplinary and capability referrals.

‘Proud’

Nicola Williams, RCN Wales Executive Director said: “I am proud of the diverse nursing workforce we have here in Wales. No one, no matter what their background, should be made to feel unsafe in their place of work, this is unacceptable.

“We must support victims of reprehensible racial abuse and discrimination to speak out. We must also ensure that we build a network of allies in the workplace, in governance and in Welsh Government, competent in identifying discriminatory or abusive behaviour and signposting.

“Our international workforce provides an essential contribution to our Welsh workforce, bringing invaluable expertise, perspectives, and a united drive to deliver best patient care.

“This will only drive more talented nursing staff to quit in an ongoing nursing staff crisis, after choosing to build their lives and career supporting the health services in Wales.

“Nurses are often afraid to speak out due to fear of further rejection, not being believed, feel that they may be seen as causing ‘trouble’ or just want to get on with caring for patients.

“Many also feel that no action will be taken by their employer as the culture of racial abuse is so normalised. But this has a deep impact on nurses feeling safe, valued and supported in work.

“Health boards and Trusts have a duty of care to ensure their staff feel safe and supported at work. This begins with easy ways to report racism, accurate data reporting, and clear protocols for dealing with incidents. Health services cannot be called anti-racist when they do not know the full extent of the problem.

“The new Welsh Government have pledged in their manifesto that they will ‘Keep the Anti-Racist Wales Action Plan under active review and report on progress, working closely with people with lived experience of racism.’ RCN Wales will be holding them to account on this with specific actions for the nursing workforce.”

A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “We greatly value the nursing workforce in Wales and the vital work they do.

“The First Minister has now appointed his Cabinet which he has said will have a relentless focus on doing what’s best for Wales. Each Minister will be setting out their priorities shortly.”