Call to protect nurses from ‘sex pests’ as 6 in 10 say they are harassed at work

‘It’s offensive and abusive and makes you feel scared to go to work,’ nurse says

Around nine out of ten nurses in the UK are women (Getty Images)

Six in 10 nurses in the UK have been subjected to sexual harassment in the workplace, according to a new study.

The UK’s biggest union, which polled more than 2,000 nurses, called for measures to be introduced to safeguard nurses against “sex pests”.

The research, carried out by Unison and the Nursing Times, discovered around one in ten nurses said they frequently suffered sexual harassment, while a fifth said they only endured misconduct occasionally.

Almost four in ten said they experienced unwanted physical advances such as patients groping them while receiving treatment, unwelcome touching, hugging or kissing, and having their personal space intruded on.

While over half of nurses said they had been forced to endure inappropriate jokes, remarks about the way they look, had been asked out on a date or probed about their personal life. Around nine out of ten nurses in the UK are women.

A community nurse, who participated in the poll, said: “Sexual harassment needs to be viewed as a more serious offence than it currently is.

“The response I got from my manager and colleagues was, ‘well, that’s just part of the job’. It isn’t. It’s offensive and abusive and makes you feel scared to go to work.”

The research found nurses are harassed by a combination of their own work colleagues, patients themselves, and the loved ones of the people they are looking after.

A nurse, who was polled, said: “The public think nurses are fair game, with comments about uniforms. This makes it hard to address, as these are our patients and visitors.

“But trusts need to do more and we need to change the public’s perception from the Carry On film image of nursing.”

Only approximately a quarter of nurses who had suffered sexual harassment decided to inform their employers, while a third said there was a dearth of measures in place to safeguard nurses from such treatment in their jobs.

Josie Irwin, the national women’s officer at Unison, said: “Harassment of any form is simply wrong. Staff working in the NHS must be able to do their jobs without fear of unwanted attention, lewd remarks or being made to feel uncomfortable.

“Employers must do their utmost to protect nurses against sex pests, regardless of whether the culprit is a patient or colleague. This survey shows there’s still much more to do.”

Steve Ford, the Nursing Times’ editor, warned the findings of the poll are “deeply worrying” as he called for the research to the “starting point of change” and argued: “Enough is enough.”

He added: “Sexual harassment in health and care settings fails to get the attention it deserves. The concern is it has become ‘normalised’ – something that nurses have to endure as part of their everyday working lives.”

It comes after previous research by Unison found NHS workers including nurses and cleaners have experienced “serious” sexual harassment which includes upskirting, groping and rape in the workplace.

The union, which polled 8,000 healthcare workers, warned some victims had contemplated suicide and explained sexual harassment was perpetrated by fellow workers, patients or contractors.

While a recent major study, carried out by the University of Sheffield, discovered nurses and females healthcare workers are the most likely to suffer mental distress amid the pandemic.

Researchers, who also looked at workers’ responses to other infectious diseases such as SARS, Bird Flu, Swine Flu and Ebola, found psychological torment for health professionals can go on for up to three years after the pandemic first broke out.