The BBC has released an important report on the vile racism that NHS workers are increasingly facing, but has simultaneously exposed its preference for a ‘hierarchy of racism’.
Increasing racism against NHS staff
A damning BBC article from 12 May led with the headline:
‘Patients have tried to punch me because of my skin colour’
The outlet had asked all “NHS hospital and mental health trusts in England” how much racial abuse from patients their staff had reported. And it said:
From the 106 trusts which provided data, there were 8,235 such reports in 2024, a 17% increase on the 7,002 reports in 2023. Several trusts did not record reports of racism prior to 2023, meaning older comparison figures are not available, but campaigners claim the issue has been growing for several years.
The article also gave examples of racism — specifically against people who came to the UK from other countries. These included:
- A nurse from the Philippines who mentioned facing slurs, attempts to physically assault him, and patients refusing medication — all because of his skin colour.
- A campaign group, Equality 4 Black Nurses, that said some nurses have left healthcare or gone back to their home countries due to the abuse they’ve faced. The group also asserted that most people avoid reporting incidents because they “don’t trust the system to protect them”.
- A call handler from India who noted a significant increase in abuse in the last year, with numerous daily incidents of racism.
The BBC’s hierarchy of racism in one line
We should all know by now that the BBC is a state propaganda outlet. So when it echoes government talking points, we really shouldn’t be surprised. But it’s particularly sad to see when, in doing so, it undermines reporting that’s both serious and important. And that’s exactly what happened in the article about racism against NHS staff.
In just one line, the BBC amplified one form of racism above others, despite not giving any examples of such abuse in the article itself. It may argue that it was paraphrasing the words of the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), but the BBC said:
A review was being conducted into antisemitism and other forms of racism and a support package to protect frontline staff from violence and aggression had been announced in 2025, the DHSC said.
This was the only mention of antisemitism in the article. Yet suddenly, it gained prominence and special emphasis above all “other forms of racism” — particularly the types that target people because their skin is Black or Brown, or because their accent is different. The mention of the ‘other forms’ was almost a throwaway comment.
Perhaps this was the BBC passing on the ruling Labour Party‘s clear hierarchy of racism. But that doesn’t change the fact that the outlet chose to highlight antisemitism while failing to specifically mention the other types of racism that it had literally reported on in depth in the same article.
We need a consistently anti-racist media
All racism is vile. And with the far right making big inroads in British politics, it’s unsurprisingly on the rise. The sea of racist media propaganda, meanwhile, is adding to this toxic situation. As is the dangerous and cynical political weaponisation of antisemitism accusations.
We need media that challenges all forms of racism in equal measure. We need media that doesn’t prioritise one community’s concerns over another’s. But as we’ve seen all too often, it seems the BBC is unable to be (or uninterested in being) the media that we so badly need right now.
Featured image via the Canary
By Ed Sykes
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