We know that over the past few years, discrimination has been rising across the country, not the least of which are the rates of antisemitism, Islamophobia, and other forms of racially or religiously motivated discrimination.
Discrimination in any form is unacceptable, and we have recently published a resource to support our registrants who experience or witness discrimination in workplace or education settings, including Islamophobia and antisemitism.
Concerns about registered healthcare professionals who express antisemitic, Islamophobic or racist views can be raised with healthcare regulators, including the HCPC.
Disclaimer:
Throughout this webpage, we have provided some examples of racially and religiously motivated discrimination. These examples all come from healthcare regulator fitness to practise final hearings where regulatory action has been taken to protect the public.
Some of these examples include details and language that may be disturbing or distressing.
Incidents such as those set out below are exceptionally rare, and regulators have a responsibility to ensure that these concerns are treated appropriately when they do arise. Each concern dealt with by a regulator is unique and each panel reaches its decision based on their regulator’s processes and the circumstances and context specific to that concern.
Therefore, these are not indicative examples or examples of best practice, instead they show what these forms of discrimination might look like in healthcare settings and how regulators addressed them.
Data from the Home Office on Hate crime in England and Wales for the year ending March 2025 show an increase in the rates of both racially and religiously motivated hate crimes. The report also indicates that:
- Muslim and Jewish people are more likely than other religions to experience discrimination, with Jewish people experiencing the highest rates of discrimination by population size.
- Asian and Black adults are more likely to be victims of a racially motivated hate crime.
- Racial and religious discrimination are not always isolated in two distinct categories. This means that people who are part of groups where religion and ethnicity are closely related and frequently overlap, such as Judaism and Sikhism, are even more likely to experience discrimination.
Case study
From a Health and Care Professions Tribunal Service (HCPTS) Final Hearing
In 2020, an HCPTS panel found that a radiographer’s comments were racially motivated and showed racial hostility toward South Asian people who were practising Sikhs.
Please note that the case details include quotes with language that may be disturbing or distressing.-
In 2020, a radiographer said to a colleague who wears a turban that another colleague ‘will kick you in your head, but you might get upset as your turban will get dirty,’ and ‘she will roundhouse kick you in your head and knock your turban off.’
The following year, the registrant said, in regard to the same colleague’s sick leave, that he hoped they were ‘off sick because they’ve got a brain tumour,’ and that ‘maybe it’s from wearing their turban too tight.’The HCPTS panel found that the registrant’s comments were racially motivated and showed racial hostility toward South Asian people who were practising Sikhs.
Muslim and Jewish community and security organisations have seen sharp increases in the number of Islamophobic, anti-Muslim, antisemitic, and anti-Jewish[i] incidents over the past few years:
Between 2012 and 2024, TellMAMA reported a 2,253% increase in total verified reports of anti-Muslim hate, not including reports of online incidents.
Case study
From a Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) Final Hearing
In 2023, an NMC panel found that a nurse’s comments on a workplace News Feed for employees show a prejudicial, discriminatory attitude to people on the basis of religion.
Please note that the case details include quotes with language that may be disturbing or distressing.-
In 2023, a registered nurse commented on an article about Ramadan in her workplace’s News Feed for employees:
‘Sorry the point of Fasting is not to be given special treatment or consideration. To even mention this I find disturbing.’
The NMC panel determined that the registrant’s ‘view that it was “disturbing” to bring the observance of Ramadan to the attention of colleagues when the purpose of the article was to ensure that colleagues were mindful of the impact of fasting, shows a prejudicial, discriminatory attitude to people on the basis of religion.’
Between 2013 and 2024, the Community Security Trust (CST) reported a 559% increase in recorded incidents of antisemitism, including on and offline incidents.
Case study
From a Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) Final Hearing
In 2023, an MPTS panel found a medical doctor’s comments on social media to be objectively antisemitic, seriously offensive, and motivated by hostility towards and/or prejudice against Jewish people.
Please note that the case details include quotes with language that may be disturbing or distressing.-
In 2023, a medical doctor published a series of comments on social media, including:
‘Die Juden sind unsere Ungluck’ [Translation from German: The Jews are our misfortune.].Other comments included antisemitic slurs and highly offensive statements to describe Jewish people.
The Medical Practitioners Tribunal found that the doctor’s comments were objectively antisemitic, seriously offensive, and motivated by hostility towards and/or prejudice against Jewish people.
Both organisations report that the majority of incidents occur against people who are visibly Jewish or visibly Muslim.
Any number of incidents of antisemitism or Islamophobia are unacceptable, and these increasing trends are both alarming and disgraceful and must not be tolerated in society and certainly not in healthcare professions.
The role of the HCPC in tackling racially and religiously motivated discrimination
As a healthcare regulator, the role of the HCPC is to protect the public. One of the ways that we do this is by setting standards which set out our expectations for our registrants.
All HCPC registrants have a duty to challenge discrimination, including by:
‘taking action to ensure that their personal values, biases and beliefs do not lead them to discriminate against service users, carers or colleagues. Registrants’ personal values, biases and beliefs must not detrimentally impact the care, treatment or other services that they provide.’
Furthermore, the public expect healthcare professionals to recognise the importance of:
‘equality, diversity and inclusion and to be able to respond to the needs of all the service users in their practice.’
Where registrants witness discrimination against service users or colleagues they also have a duty to raise this promptly with the appropriate authority (standards of conduct, performance and ethics 7.1 and 7.5). Registrants can find more information about how to raise concerns when they witness discrimination here.
In October 2025, the government announced the Mann Review into antisemitism and all forms of racism in the NHS, focusing on the role of healthcare regulators in tackling these issues in the healthcare sector. We welcome the government’s attention to the pressing issue of racism and religious-based discrimination, including antisemitism and Islamophobia.
Case study
From a MPTS Final Hearing
In 2021, an MPTS panel found a medical doctor made a comment that was overtly discriminatory, antisemitic and offensive.
Please note that the case details include quotes with language that may be disturbing or distressing.-
In 2021, a medical doctor made an antisemitic comment about a colleague:
‘All this antisemitism…if Hitler was around today I would support him as he got rid of [obscenity] like him.’
The Medical Practitioners Tribunal concluded that the doctor’s comments were overtly discriminatory, antisemitic and offensive.
We know we have a key role in tackling discrimination, both through our role as a regulator across all of our regulatory processes, and as an employer. We remain committed to taking decisive action where antisemitism, islamophobia, racism and all forms of discrimination occur.
As set out in our EDI strategy, the HCPC strives to be an actively anti-discriminatory organisation. We actively seek opportunities to exceed our legal obligations to eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation for service users, registrants, employees and the public.
Our standards are clear that all forms of discrimination are unacceptable, and registrants must not discriminate against others. Our fitness to practise processes ensure that we can and will take robust and appropriate action where registrant behaviour is found to be in breach of these standards.
Case study
From an HCPTS Final Hearing
In 2019, an HCPTS panel found that a paramedic’s comments in the ambulance cab were racially motivated and that he had clear hostility and discriminatory attitudes.
Please note that the case details include quotes with language that may be disturbing or distressing.-
In 2019 while in an ambulance cab with a colleague, a registered paramedic spontaneously began a monotone matter of fact monologue in which he said that he disliked people who were not white.
The Registrant said that he had a brother who had been involved in the war in Iraq, and that it was possible to buy rifles and a tank on the internet. The Registrant continued that he would like to buy rifles or a tank and ‘…get some work with…’ his relative, go over there to kill a lot of them.
Later that year, the paramedic opened a chocolate bar in the cab while the same colleague was driving. The registrant held up the bar to show that it was white chocolate. He said to his colleague, ‘See this [Colleague]? This is how I like my society.’
The HCPTS panel found that the registrant’s comments were racially motivated and that he had clear hostility and discriminatory attitudes
But we know that there is always more work to be done to protect the public, particularly when forms of discrimination like Islamophobia and antisemitism are on the rise.
We are continuing to develop our awareness of antisemitism and Islamophobia as an organisation, including when alleged in fitness to practise processes. This work is informed by Jewish and Muslim community perspectives and trainings from the charities Community Security Trust and TellMAMA.
Case study
From a NMC Final Hearing
In 2024, an NMC panel concluded that a nurse’s behaviour was discriminatory, offensive and racist and indicative of deep-seated views and hostility regarding race and religion.
Please note that the case details include quotes with language that may be disturbing or distressing.-
In 2024, a registered nurse made a series of posts on social media which an NMC (regulator for nurses, midwives and nursing associates) panel described as ‘discriminatory, offensive and racist’ and indicative of ‘deep seated views and hostility regarding race and religion.’
The posts included comments like:
‘This country has so many nasty immigrants wanting to spread hatred and violence towards its countries [sic] inhabitants. Deport Deport Depot [sic] before more bloodshed occurs. This is not a Muslim country and there should be no place for them.’The NMC panel concluded that the nurse’s behaviour was discriminatory, offensive and racist and indicative of deep-seated views and hostility regarding race and religion.
