BRITAIN is witnessing a disturbing return of racism not seen since decades ago, with healthcare workers taking the worst of it, health secretary Wes Streeting has said.
He said that verbal and physical attacks motivated by skin colour have become so frequent that being racist is now viewed as socially acceptable again.
Speaking to the Guardian together with Jim Mackey, who runs NHS England, Streeting described his dismay at hearing medical staff, particularly those in emergency departments, describe escalating levels of hostility and violence when treatment is delayed.
The pair warned the public to expect NHS to become overstretched in coming weeks due to influenza, Covid-19 and planned strikes by doctors during winter.
Streeting acknowledged that patients would face increased danger from being left on gurneys in hallways or stuck inside ambulances—circumstances known to raise the chances of serious harm or death.
"What has troubled me most is the growing wave of racial prejudice and how discrimination reminiscent of four or five decades ago appears to have become acceptable once more," Streeting said.
He attacked certain unnamed politicians who enable racism, saying he was "appalled that discrimination last witnessed when Britain was completely different, half a century past, has made an unpleasant return."
His comments follow the Royal College of Nursing announcing that racist incidents experienced by nurses at their workplaces have dramatically increased in recent times.
The minister shared an example of a Labour colleague's daughter, a trainee doctor, who was asked to treat a patient demanding only white staff because she had lighter skin. She correctly refused, saying the patient either accepts care or doesn't, but cannot engage in racial discrimination.
"Your entitlement to free medical care in Britain doesn't include permission to mistreat our workers for any reason," Streeting said. "We must stop tolerating racism in our country."
Professor Nicola Ranger, who leads the RCN, supported Streeting's comments, saying: "The increase in racist mistreatment is a disgrace to society. We must acknowledge that the growing use of anti-immigrant language in politics is encouraging racist conduct."
Professor Habib Naqvi of the NHS Race and Health Observatory added that racism levels haven't been witnessed for decades, and the health service isn't shielded from this problem.
Mackey and Streeting admitted that despite extensive preparation, some hospital trusts would struggle during winter when emergency departments are anticipated to experience unprecedented numbers.
"There will be hospitals where patients are on gurneys in passageways," Streeting warned.
Meanwhile, trainee doctors in England are demanding a 29 per cent salary increase and tens of thousands are scheduled to strike for five days starting November 14, marking their 13th walkout since March 2023.
Streeting appealed to the British Medical Association to cancel the action, noting trainee doctors' wages have increased by 28.9 per cent across the previous three years.
