30% of NHS surgical staff have experienced sexual assault over the past 5 years, including rape.

A recent study conducted by the University of Exeter revealed an alarming statistic: almost one in three female surgeons working in the NHS have been sexually assaulted in the last five years. Even more troubling, eleven instances of rape were reported by participating surgeons.

The survey found that 29% of female staff faced unwanted sexual advances, while 40% received unwelcome comments about their body, and 38% experienced sexual banter in the workplace. An astounding 89% of female and 81% of male respondents reported witnessing sexual misconduct in the past five years.

The results of this groundbreaking survey, which received 1,436 anonymous responses, were presented to NHS England, the General Medical Council and the British Medical Association. These organizations have been urged to take action and implement the report’s recommended changes.

The report concluded that sexual misconduct is rampant in the surgical environment due to a hierarchical structure and gender and power imbalance. This has created an unsafe working environment and equally unsafe space for patients. Consultant surgeon Tamzin Cuming, who was part of the research team, described the findings as “some of the most appalling facts ever to come out” about the field, and called it a “MeToo moment for surgery.”

Writing in The Times, Cuming detailed the current system, which allows sexual misconduct to be ignored and those affected to be unprotected. She called for the creation of a national implementation panel to oversee action on the report’s recommendations, and for incidents of sexual misconduct to be independently investigated. Furthermore, she highlighted the need for greater measures to protect staff, including a code of conduct that specifically states “please do not molest your work colleagues or students.” She concluded by expressing the anger and frustration felt by many in the profession.

[This article has been trending online recently and has been generated with AI. Your feed is customized.]
[Generative AI is experimental.]