Skip to main content

Sexual Harassment

Sexual harassment resources 

Everyone has the right to work and access services in an environment free from sexual harassment and misogyny.

BASHH is committed to supporting our workforce and those who access our services to understand, counter and respond effectively to sexual harassment. We do this through signposting to the latest information, guidance and resources.

Please be advised that the information on this page will continue to be updated in line with the latest legal developments and guidance. If you know of further useful resources we should include, please email admin@bashh.org.


Sexual harassment and the law

As of October 2024 there are new legal requirements for employers in the UK.

The Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Act 2023 places increased responsibility on businesses to take ‘reasonable steps’ to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace, as defined in the Equality Act 2010.  

For further reading, please click here  to view the article.

Under the Equality Act 2010 a guide has been created offering technical guidance, to view the Sexual harassment and harassment at work: technical guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission  please click here 

 Reports and surveys 

British Medical Association

The BMA have published a report based on a survey of nearly 2.5 thousand doctors, highlights an issue of sexism in the medical profession. For more information, click here

NHS England 

NHS staff report record levels of discrimination from the public. Frontline NHS staff are facing record levels of discrimination from the public, the result of a national staff survey reveals. For more information, click here

Surviving In Scrubs 

Surviving In scrubs have produced a report Surviving Healthcare: Sexism And Sexual Violence In The Healthcare Workforce the aim of the report is to share what they have heard about people’s experience of sexual misconduct, including where, and how this can happen, experiences of seeking support and raising concerns in healthcare settings and about the impacts these experiences can have on healthcare staff. for further reading, please click here

WPSMS - The Working Party on Sexual Misconduct in Surgery

WPSMS have published a report on Breaking the Silence: Addressing Sexual Misconduct in Healthcare to view the report, click here

To view the paper on Sexual Harassment, Sexual Assault and Rape by Colleagues in the Surgical Workforce, click her

 

Useful links from professional bodies 

Association of Ambulance Chief Executives 

The Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE) and the Office of the Chief Allied Health Professions Officer (CAHPO) have launched three publications aimed at reducing misogyny and improving sexual safety in the ambulance service. For more information, click here 

To view the Reducing misogyny and improving sexual safety in the ambulance service, Next steps document, click here

To view the Reducing misogyny and improving sexual safety in the ambulance service, Consensus statement, click here

Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service 

The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) is an independent public body that receives funding from the government, they work with millions of employers and employees every year to improve workplace relationships to review the guidelines on preventing sexual harrassment click here 
 

British Medical Association

The BMA have created a pledge and commitment to address the cultural and structural factors that cause sexism in order to improve working conditions for medical students and doctors. The aim of the pledge is to us closer to a world where doctors and medical students can work in a safe environment free from discrimination, and where gender plays no role in career progression or how they are treated.  For more information, click here

Equality and Human Rights Commission

The EHRC have  produced a guidance on Sexual harassment and harassment at work, the guidance covers sexual harassment, harassment and victimisation in employment under the work provisions in the Equality Act 2010 (‘the Act’). The work provisions are based on the principle that workers should not be harassed, discriminated or victimised at work (Part 5 of the Act).in addition, covering an employer’s positive legal duty to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment of its workers (the ‘preventative duty’).


Sexual harassment and harassment at work: technical guidance

General Medical Council

The below link provides guidance on how to identify and tackle sexual misconduct. covereing overview of what is sexual misconduct, the importance of clear sexual boundaries for patients and healthcare professionals and help on support on speaking up with advice helplines and case studies. In addition advice on Sexual bounderies in the doctor- patient relationship and Sexual behaviour between colleagues and students . 

Identifying and tackling sexual misconduct 

The below link is to the Professional standards document, Good medical practise 2024. These standards cover the behaviours and values which support good,  team work, make everyone feel safe to speak up. outlining standards of patient care and professional behaviour expected of all doctors in the UK, across all specialties, career stages and sectors.

Good medical practise 2024 

The below document provides an overview of the improvements made as part of their programme of work for Embedding Learning from Sexual Abuse (ELSA) cases. The ELSA programme aimed to; identify and improve how we handle cases of sexual misconduct and harassment involving children and adults, how we work with others, such as employers, to identify concerns and the support we offer to those who raise concerns and witnesses through their processes. 

Embedding Learning from Sexual Abuse (ELSA) cases Programme

The GMS have published a resource which includes  support for victims and survivors of sexual misconduct by doctors, the document covers; What constitutes sexual misconduct and how to raise a concern, What to expect from an investigation, and organisations that can provide support and What to do if you think you have been subject to sexual misconduct by a doctor. 

Support for victims and survivors of sexual misconduct by doctors

NHS England

NHS England launched its first ever sexual safety charter in collaboration with key partners across the healthcare system.The charter commit to taking and enforcing a zero-tolerance approach to any unwanted, inappropriate and/or harmful sexual behaviours within the workplace, and to ten core principles and actions to help achieve this. For more information, click here 

Nursing & Midwidery Council 

The Nursing and Midwifery Council have greated a guide on how to dertermine seriousness, this guidance provides supprt on the following topics; factors that indicate the seruousness of a case, sexual misconduct, abuse or neglect of children or vunerable people, discrimination, bullying, harrassment and victimisation and the Publi Sector Equality Duty (PSED) 

 How we determine seriousness

Royal College of Physicians

The RCP have published the following resources from The National Sexual Safety Collaborative  which provides useful information on; Benchmarking against the Sexual Safety Standards, Co-producing a ward charter, Raising awareness and increasing staff confidence to address sexual safety and The importance of a trauma-informed approach to care.

Sexual Safety Collaborative

Click here  to review an open letter to the medical profession in Wales published by Royal College of Physicians

 

Please note that this list is not exhusted to suggest other useful links, please contact us 

 

Helplines for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland 

Rape Crisis Scotland - For more information, click here

Rape Crisis England & Wales - For more information, click here 

Rape Crisis Northern Ireland - For more information, click here

 

Click here to view the Clinical Guidelines for Sexual violence