We stand with our migrant and global majority colleagues and all those who come from diverse backgrounds in the UK.

You are not alone, and we value your contribution to society.

If you need advice or support for a situation at work, use our advice below. If you need further information or support, please contact your local RCN rep or get in touch with our advice team.

If you feel you are being treated unfairly or are experiencing unlawful discrimination, our guide will help with steps you can take to address it, how legal protections apply throughout employment and more.

Employers have a statutory duty to provide a safe place of work. If it is safe to work, you must honour your contractual obligation to do so.

Whether it is safe or not will depend on an assessment of the risks. Your employer must undertake and regularly review a risk assessment to ensure your safety at work and take action to mitigate any risks. This could, for example, include having an effective means of raising an alarm, such as a lone worker device, pairing lone workers up while a threat exists or increasing security at a place of work.

Find out about your employer's obligations around personal safety and risk assessments using our Prioritising personal safety advice guide.

No one should have to put up with abuse at work, including racial abuse. Your employer has an obligation to protect workers in these situations.

If you are subject to racial abuse from a patient, you should always report and record it with your employer using the appropriate reporting procedure at your place of work. Let your line manager know and ask them to act. Please see our raising concerns toolkit for further information.

Where there is any imminent threat to your personal safety, you should seek assistance immediately. You may wish to read our guidance below on refusal to treat.

You can also report hate crimes against you through the UK government website.

No one should have to put up with abuse at work, including racial abuse. Your employer has an obligation to act to protect workers in these situations.

If you’re experiencing discriminatory behaviour, including racism, or fear physical violence, it may justify a refusal to treat. There are several things that need to be considered, and you should always consult your manager and make your concerns known verbally or in writing as soon as possible and follow local policies. For further information, read our Refusal to treat advice guide.

You have a right to be safe at work irrespective of whether you are based in hospitals, mental health settings, in the community or other health or social care premises.

Employees have certain rights to refuse to work in circumstances of danger. An employer must not subject an employee to a detriment for leaving work in circumstances in which they reasonably believed they were in serious or imminent danger. This protection is set out in section 44 of the Employment Rights Act 1996, and it would also amount to automatic unfair dismissal if an employee were dismissed for this reason.

If you believe you have suffered a detriment or were dismissed after taking action to keep yourself safe, contact us for further advice.

It is understandable, with the heightened risk, that many members from the global majority will feel increasingly worried and anxious about their own safety and that of loved ones, and this may impact negatively on their mental health.

Your workplace Employee Assistance Programme or Occupational Health support and/or peer support from staff race equality networks, mental health first aiders and your RCN workplace reps and branch can all provide support.

As a member, you can access our mental health and wellbeing resources, which include information on how to access our free counselling service.

Mind, the mental health charity, have a 'Useful contacts - racism and mental health' webpage which lists of organisations that offer support for people whose mental health is affected by racism.