Charter to tackle sexual harassment across NHS in England has failed, say unions

A flagship strategy to tackle sexual harassment across the NHS in England has failed to improve the safety of female staff, according to legal experts and healthcare unions.

The NHS sexual safety charter, launched in September 2023, was supposed to improve how hospitals, GP surgeries and other organisations address sexual harassment. But the UK-based charity Rights of Women said calls from NHS staff to its sexual harassment at work advice line had increased significantly since the charter was rolled out.

Laura Bolam, the employment law officer at the charity – which provides free legal advice to 3,000 working women each year across England and Wales – said the proportion of its callers who were women in the NHS had doubled recently.

“In 2023, around 11% of our calls came from women working in the NHS; this rose to 19% in 2024 and increased again to 22% in 2025. This highlights that sexual harassment within NHS trusts is not only rising but appears to be an entrenched, systemic issue.”

All NHS organisations in England have signed the sexual safety charter, which commits them to taking a zero-tolerance approach to unwanted sexual behaviour. But a Guardian investigation found many trusts continued to report improbably low numbers of incidents, particularly for staff sexually assaulting or sexually harassing colleagues and other staff.

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Source: The Guardian, 18 January 2026