Staff at Scarborough and York hospitals report increasing sexual abuse from patients

Cases of sexual abuse faced by staff at the York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust have increased since 2018.

In 2022 and 2023, more than 10 members of staff reported being sexually abused by patients each year.

In 2018 and 2019, there were three and five instances respectively.

The trust said it was “committed to reducing and deterring such incidents” and that it had several “existing and new policies” designed to safeguard staff.

A Freedom of Information (FoI) request revealed that between January 2018 and June 2023, staff at the trust reported 38 cases of sexual abuse by patients.

Sarah Dodsworth, the regional director of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) for Yorkshire and the Humber region said the figures were “very disturbing” and “simply not acceptable”.

The FoI request, submitted by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), found that one patient had reported sexual abuse from staff in the same period.

Between 2018-2023, one member of staff was “formally disciplined for sexual violence and/or sexual misconduct against patients”, according to the trust.

A spokesperson for the York and Scarborough NHS Trust, said: “We are committed to keeping both staff and patients safe while in our hospitals.

“Fortunately instances of this nature are rare, however, one instance is one too many and we take a systematic zero-tolerance approach to any kind of abuse.

“The trust is committed to reducing and deterring such incidents through decisive reporting, and robust training and support for our staff, to enable them to deal with situations when they do arise.”

The spokesperson added: “We also have a number of existing and new policies which are designed to embed a culture where our staff feel supported, safe, and secure at work, safeguarding them against violence and abuse.”

The FoI request also revealed that between 2018-2023, there were two cases of “staff by staff” sexual abuse and three cases of abuse to “patient by patient”.

The trust also said that two members of staff were “formally disciplined for sexual misconduct and/or sexual violence against other staff” in the same time period.

Speaking to the LDRS, Sarah Dodsworth said: “Staff and patients should expect the NHS to be a safe place and not face the risk of assault, harassment, or abuse.

“Longer waits where care is delayed, staffing shortages and increased pressure, where staff try to cope under difficult circumstances, have led to an increase in violence and aggression against NHS staff.”

She added: “It’s vital that when these incidents do occur, they are reported and properly investigated.

"Employers must do all that they can to protect staff as they do their jobs.

“There must also be support for staff in reporting incidents, including to the police.”