The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has today [Tuesday 19 May 2026] condemned health leaders and politicians for allowing racism to ‘flourish’ in the NHS. New figures show more than 21,000 incidents of racist abuse were reported by nursing staff across the UK over the last four years, surging by 78% in that time.
In Wales, 342 incidents of racial abuse were reported between 2022 and 2025. This figure has risen by 93% since 2022, rising from 59 in 2022, 81 in 2023, 84 in 2024 and 114 in 2025, The majority of cases across health boards in Wales year on year were from patients and service users towards nursing staff.
The RCN says these findings are just the ‘tip of the iceberg’. Released on the second day of its annual Congress, these figures come from freedom of information (FOI) requests made to NHS trusts and health boards across the UK.
Only 4 out of the 8 Welsh health boards contacted were able to provide credible data, therefore the real figure is likely to be much higher, in line with the rest of the UK. Additionally, this data does not account for the fact that many nursing staff will not report incidents due to a lack of faith in their employer to act against it, fear of retaliation, or because the culture of racial abuse is routinely normalised.
The RCN is urging health leaders and governments across the UK, including the new Welsh Government, to get a handle on the crisis by delivering standardised and streamlined incident reporting across NHS employers; recording staff role, work area and ethnicity of the person reporting the racist abuse. This would allow NHS Trusts to spot patterns, areas of risk and implement proactive prevention measures to stop future cases.
The nursing union has also said that NHS Trusts and health boards need to develop far more comprehensive protocols on what action will be taken upon receiving reports of racial abuse.
The RCN has consistently criticised the use of anti-migrant rhetoric by politicians, saying it has helped to embolden racist behaviour. The College also said the UK government was making a bad situation worse by ‘scapegoating’ migrant nursing staff after changing the rules on Indefinite Leave to Remain.
In Wales, the Anti-racism plan was originally created in 2021 and, in its 2026 update, sets out that ‘The NHS Wales National Workforce Safety Board is working to reduce racism, improve reporting of discrimination, and ensure fair implementation of the Speaking Up Safely framework.’
The update also said that ‘new Violence and Aggression Prevention Standards are soon to be published by the NHS Wales Anti-Violence Collaborative.’ RCN Wales will be holding the new Welsh Government accountable in delivering on these essential aims.
The second annual Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES) report, covering 2024-25, also calls attention to internal racial discrimination, with underrepresentation of Minority Ethnic staff in Senior Leadership, persistent barriers to career progression and disproportionate disciplinary, and capability referrals.
Responding to the findings published on the second day of RCN Congress, RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive Professor Nicola Ranger, said:
“These findings show a catastrophic rise in the racist abuse faced by nursing staff. It is a disgrace, and perhaps just as bad is the fact that many NHS Trusts and Health Boards cannot even tell us how many staff have been on the receiving end. It amounts to a policy of ‘don’t know, don’t care’.
“Nursing staff are the lifeblood of our NHS and social care too, made up of every nationality and ethnicity, coming together to care for patients every day. They are a shining example of a successful, multi-cultural modern United Kingdom, and they deserve better than for this disgusting racism and abuse to become so normalised.
“Our colleagues are being let down by health leaders who are failing in their duty to keep them safe at work and by politicians who cynically play communities off each other for political gain.
“As employers, NHS trusts and health boards must be uncompromising in challenging this vile abuse from patients and where it does occur ensure staff are supported to report it. Across all the NHS, we need a standardised method of incident recording racial abuse which includes data on the staff group, work areas and ethnicity of the staff member making the report. We cannot hope to stamp out racism in our health service while health leaders are in the dark over the scale of the crisis.”
Speaking from RCN Congress 2026 in Liverpool, Nicola Williams, RCN Wales Executive Director said:
“I am proud of the diverse nursing workforce we have here in Wales. No one, no matter what their background, should be made to feel unsafe in their place of work, this is unacceptable. We must support victims of reprehensible racial abuse and discrimination to speak out. We must also ensure that we build a network of allies in the workplace, in governance and in Welsh Government, competent in identifying discriminatory or abusive behaviour and signposting.”
“Our international workforce provides an essential contribution to our Welsh workforce, bringing invaluable expertise, perspectives, and a united drive to deliver best patient care.”
“This will only drive more talented nursing staff to quit in an ongoing nursing staff crisis, after choosing to build their lives and career supporting the health services in Wales.
“Nurses are often afraid to speak out due to fear of further rejection, not being believed, feel that they may be seen as causing ‘trouble’ or just want to get on with caring for patients. Many also feel that no action will be taken by their employer as the culture of racial abuse is so normalised. But this has a deep impact on nurses feeling safe, valued and supported in work.
“Health boards and Trusts have a duty of care to ensure their staff feel safe and supported at work. This begins with easy ways to report racism, accurate data reporting, and clear protocols for dealing with incidents. Health services cannot be called anti-racist when they do not know the full extent of the problem.
“The new Welsh Government have pledged in their manifesto that they will ‘Keep the Anti-Racist Wales Action Plan under active review and report on progress, working closely with people with lived experience of racism.’ RCN Wales will be holding them to account on this with specific actions for the nursing workforce.”
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS
• Rundown of figures by health board:
|
Health Board |
Total number of incidents between 2022-2025 |
|
Aneurin Bevan University Health Board |
174 |
|
Cwm Taf University Health Board |
0 |
|
Velindre University NHS Trust |
<6 |
|
Cardiff and Vale University Health Board |
0 |
|
Swansea Bay University Health Board |
68 |
|
Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board |
86 |
|
Powys Teaching Health Board |
14 |
|
Hywel Dda University Health Board |
0 |
|
Welsh Ambulance Service University NHS Trust |
0 |
• Ethnicity data was requested but not provided as not reported on. This follows the same trend across the UK
• In the 2026 update of the last Welsh government’s Anti-Wales action plan Anti-racist Wales Action Plan (ArWAP): progress update | GOV.WALES (updated in Jan 2026), pledges were made that ‘the NHS in Wales will be anti-racist and will not accept any form of discrimination or inequality for employees or service users
Additionally, ‘staff will work in safe, inclusive environments, built on good anti-racist leadership and allyship, supported to reach their full potential, and ethnic minority staff and allies; both be empowered to identify and address racist practice.’
• Plaid Cymru’s promises on An Anti-Racist Wales - Party of Wales
• Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES) Annual National Report 2024-2025 NHS Wales Annual National Report 2024-2025 NHS Wales
• The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is the voice of nursing across the UK, including around 35,000 members in Wales. The RCN promotes the interests of nursing and patients on a wide range of issues and helps shape health care policy.
• For more information, contact the RCN Wales communications and media team on 02920 680 769 or mediawales@rcn.org.uk
• Follow us: BlueSky @thercnwales.bsky.social Facebook @RCNWales LinkedIn @RCNWales Instagram @rcn_wales Threads @rcn_wales
