Doctor Becky Cox, a former trainee surgeon, has spoken out about her experience of sexual harassment and assault which led to her quitting her surgical training. Cox expressed that the behavior of senior staff, including “inappropriate verbal comments, name-calling, and being harassed,” had left her feeling vulnerable and eventually resulted in her being sexually assaulted. The trauma of the experience led to her suffering depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Cox is not alone in her experiences, with incidents of sexual misconduct being reported across various vulnerable wards, including paediatrics and mental health. Freedom of Information requests to all health boards and trusts revealed that over the period spanning January 2020 to December 2023, there had been 379 allegations of sexual misconduct recorded. Of the allegations made, 93% were directed at staff members, and, worryingly, some incidents have been reported concerning staff responding to medical emergencies in homes. Sexual harassment and violence are deemed “abhorrent and have no place in the NHS” by the Welsh government and NHS Wales.
In response to the frequency of these incidents, Cox and Dr Chelcie Jewitt have founded Surviving in Scrubs, which works to amplify the voices of those affected by sexual misconduct in the NHS. A major analysis of NHS staff undertaken in September 2022 reported that female surgeons had been sexually harassed, assaulted, and, in some cases, raped by colleagues. Both Cox and Jewitt aim to use Surviving in Scrubs to drive positive change within the NHS and create a more secure environment for all staff.
Dr Hilary Williams, the Vice President for the Royal College of Physicians in Wales, commented on the FoI’s findings describing them as “horrifying.” Williams believes that most female clinicians will have encountered abuse or sexual harassment at some point in their career, and stated that urgent action was needed to address this. Dr Rowena Christmas, the Chairwoman of Wales’s Royal College of GPs, agreed that better reporting mechanisms are essential for addressing the problem and creating a safer environment for all NHS staff.
In response, the Welsh Government and NHS emphasized their commitment to addressing the problem of harassment and violence in healthcare workplaces. They encouraged reporting of any incidents to enable criminal proceedings to be taken and pointed to the Speaking Up Safely framework and sexual safety policies as being central to their efforts to prevent these unacceptable behaviors. It is clear that much work is still needed to create a safe, supportive, and dignified working environment for all healthcare workers across Wales and the rest of the UK
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More