NURSES suffer racial abuse once every 51 minutes amid a “catastrophic rise” in discrimination over recent years, new analysis shows.

There have been more than 40,000 incidents involving racial abuse or discrimination between 2022 and 2025, according to the Royal College of Nursing (RCN).

The union’s general secretary and chief executive Professor Nicola Ranger said: “These findings show a catastrophic rise in the racist abuse faced by nursing staff.

“It is a disgrace, and perhaps just as bad is the fact that many NHS trusts and health boards cannot even tell us how many staff have been on the receiving end.

“It amounts to a policy of ‘don’t know, don’t care.’

“Nursing staff are the lifeblood of our NHS and social care too, made up of every nationality and ethnicity, coming together to care for patients every day.”

In her keynote speech to RCN’s annual congress in Liverpool, she added: “We are committed to dignity, respect, and equality for all. But there has been a palpable rise in anti-immigration rhetoric that is absolutely abhorrent.

“Changes to immigration rules and Indefinite Leave to Remain threaten to push people away.

“But the truth of the matter is, if we don’t make nursing staff feel welcome, we shouldn’t be surprised if you decide to leave. We cannot allow that to happen.

“Because it only risks deepening nursing workforce issues, creating a recruitment and retention crisis of internationally educated staff.”

Data received from NHS trusts and health boards across Britain following freedom of information requests has revealed 21,725 reported incidents involving racial abuse or discrimination against nurses between 2022 and 2025.

The union believes the true figure would top 40,000 — an average of one incident every 51 minutes — if all NHS trusts had effective reporting systems in place.

The RCN also reported a 70 per cent rise in calls to its helpline from ethnic minority staff seeking advice after facing discrimination in recent years.

Among them was a nurse who claimed a patient’s family said they did not want black people caring for their daughter, as well as one who was told by a senior colleague that they did not like Indian people.

Another observing Ramadan said they had heard comments about Muslim staff and how they should not be allowed to pray.

Prof Ranger said nurses are “a shining example of a successful, multicultural modern United Kingdom, and they deserve better than for this disgusting racism and abuse to flourish and become so normalised.

“Our colleagues are being let down by health leaders who are failing in their duty to keep them safe at work and by politicians who cynically play communities off each other for political gain,” she said.

“As employers, NHS trusts and health boards must be uncompromising in challenging this vile abuse from patients and, where it does occur, ensure staff are supported to report it.”

Anti-racist and NHS campaigners backed her calls for better reporting systems and slammed politicians for emboldening racists.

Stand Up to Racism Co-Convener Sabby Dhalu said: “This abuse does not occur in a vacuum; it reflects a broader increase in racist attacks and far-right activity across society. 

“We support calls for standardised methods of recording incidents of racial abuse. We also need firm action against perpetrators, and political leaders must challenge — not legitimise or concede to — far-right narratives.”

Keep Our NHS Public co-chair Dr Tony O’Sullivan said: “Too many politicians have emboldened racists to uncover and harden what black, brown and other minoritised staff have experienced for decades. 

“Politicians must support NHS staff unequivocally and enable the NHS to monitor and reverse such abhorrent treatment of our public servants, migrants to this country offering their skill and commitment.”

New Health Secretary “James Murray should see this as a wake-up call and a warning: the NHS is its staff, not its apps and data systems. 

“Migrants make our NHS and are over 20 per cent of its workforce. Labour must end austerity, end the hostile environment, and start to respect our staff again. This starts at the top.”