No Hate Here: Sherwood Forest Hospitals launches #NOHATEHERE to tackle discrimination

Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has launched a powerful new strand of work #NoHateHere as part of its ongoing commitment to tackle discrimination, harassment, and abuse across its sites.

The work, an extension of the Trust’s wider ‘Expect Respect, Not Abuse’ campaign, aims to shine a light on the less visible but equally damaging behaviours that staff, particularly those from ethnic minority backgrounds, often face from patients and members of the public.

The campaign follows a recent review of the Trust’s Anti-Racism Strategy, which found that while progress has been made, some staff - particularly those from ethnic minority, LGBTQ+, and disabled communities - continue to face disproportionate levels of abuse. Recent staff data highlights this disparity, with 22.97% of white colleagues reporting abuse compared to 30.98% of colleagues from other ethnic minority groups.

Aamina, a Senior Orthoptist & Research Allied Health Professional working at the Trust, recently shared her personal experience of dealing with racial microaggressions from a patient during a routine appointment. Microaggressions are subtle comments or actions that communicate bias or prejudice toward a minority group. While they may seem relatively harmless in isolation, they can have a significant cumulative impact on those affected.

“I called a patient into my room and was immediately met with comments like ‘you’re one of the exotic ones’ and questions about where I was ‘really’ from,” said Aamina.

“Despite explaining that I was born and raised in Sheffield, the questioning continued. I couldn't continue with the assessment. A colleague had to step in.”

Aamina did the right thing and reported the incident to the Trust, which prompted a strong response and helped her manager and division understand the scale of what ethnic minority staff were facing regularly.

Aamina said: “We realised this wasn’t a one-off. It was happening frequently to different people. That’s when we began to formalise the work we’re now doing through our People Committee and our inclusion workstreams.”

Since then, the Trust has taken several steps, including educating staff on recognising and responding to microaggressions and empowering staff to report inappropriate behaviour, directly addressing patients whose comments or actions are unacceptable, developing a clearer zero-tolerance approach to abuse of any kind, and providing wellbeing support to staff affected by racism, harassment, or discrimination.

The patient involved in Aamina’s case received a formal letter from the Trust stating that the behaviour was unacceptable and would not be tolerated.

Rob Simcox, Chief People Officer at Sherwood Forest Hospitals, said: “Our staff come to work to care for people. They deserve to feel safe, respected and valued, regardless of their ethnicity, background, gender, or any other characteristic. #NoHateHere is not just a message. It’s a clear stance, and we’re backing it up with action.”

The Trust has embedded the #NoHateHere message into its ongoing People Strategy, recognising that discrimination comes in many forms and that it affects people across a range of identities, including ethnicity, sexuality, disability, and gender.

Aamina - who has also experienced the impact of repeated incidents on her own wellbeing, including time off due to racial and sexual harassment, says the support she has received from her manager and other colleagues has made a significant difference.

“The culture is changing,” she says. “But we have to keep pushing. We need patients and the public to understand that NHS staff are not here to be abused. We’re here to care, and we deserve that same care and respect in return.”

Physical assaults and aggressive behaviour towards staff sadly still occur across our sites, but it’s vital that the organisation also challenges the quieter, everyday forms of discrimination that can have an equally damaging impact.