Ten per cent of NHS staff members report inappropriate sexual behaviour at work

ONE in every 10 NHS staff has been shown pornography, offered money for sex or assaulted while at work, a survey into sexual harassment has found.

The Unison union said 10 per cent of more than 12,200 workers who it surveyed reported unwanted incidents that include being inappropriately touched or kissed, demands for sex in return for favours or derogatory remarks.

A third who had suffered some form of harassment reported it as sexual assault, while half said they were leered at or targeted with suggestive gestures.

One in four said they had suffered unwelcome sexual advances, propositions or demands for sexual favours.

Crude “banter” or “jokes” were the most common issue, reported by three in five health workers who had experienced some form of harassment.

More than half of the alleged sexual harassment incidents experienced by NHS staff were by colleagues, while two in five were patients, the survey found.

Despite the serious of some incidents, half the staff did not report them to their employer, through fear of being considered “over-sensitive” or a feeling that their employer would not act.

Incidents included a 111 adviser, who described being regularly harassed on the phone by anonymous callers and was told by managers that it was just part of the job. One nurse from the West Midlands received comments “about how I look and how they would love to have sex with me, which reminded me of when I was raped by a male patient”.

Christina Mcanea, Unison’s general secretary, said: “No one should ever have to endure such despicable behaviour, and certainly not in their place of work.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: “We have a zero tolerance approach. We encourage staff who have faced these issues to report it within the NHS, and to the police.”