Experiencing discrimination

We all have a responsibility to create safe and inclusive workplace environments.

This section provides a framework that you can use if you experience discrimination from colleagues, service users or carers. It sets out things to consider when making decisions in your professional capacity.

These considerations include, but are not limited to:

• service user safety;
• relevant Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics;
• relevant Standards of Proficiency;
• any relevant local or workplace policies;
• direction and guidance from your employer; and
• direction and guidance from your professional body.

You can also take a look at our sexual safety hub which has a number of resources to support registrants who experience sexual misconduct in the workplace.

Relevant standards

Our standards can be a tool to help you decide how to respond if you experience discrimination from colleagues, service users or carers. You can consider the following most relevant standards to help ensure that whatever decision you take is informed and aligns with the standards that apply to your practice.

Deciding how to respond

Managing your health and wellbeing

Experiencing or witnessing discrimination can be harmful and can have a serious impact on health and wellbeing. That’s why our standards are clear that you should look after your own health and wellbeing while managing risks to others including service users, carers and colleagues:

• Registrants’ mental health; and
• Managing existing health conditions and disabilities in the workplace.

We have more information and resources on maintaining your health and wellbeing and managing stress, including signposted external wellbeing resources.  

Testimonial from an Occupational Therapist, England 

“The journey of coming to the UK from India and working within the healthcare system here has not been easy, and many challenges continue to persist. Throughout this experience, I have encountered instances of bullying, undermining, and discrimination, which have significantly impacted both my professional confidence and emotional well-being during an already demanding transition.

For example, I have at times felt undermined by colleagues who questioned how they could take guidance from someone who had “just come” to the UK. While I acknowledge that adapting to a new healthcare system and cultural context takes time, my clinical competence is not defined by geography. My prior experience and professional skills are substantial, and I believe these should enhance teamwork rather than be dismissed or undervalued.

In my entire career before moving to the UK, I had never felt so helpless or emotionally affected. The cumulative impact of these experiences led to significant emotional distress. It became increasingly clear to me that, as an immigrant professional, there is often an unspoken expectation to remain silent, tolerate adversity, and feel grateful simply for being employed, rather than feeling empowered to raise concerns or expect equitable treatment.

While some issues still persist, I have grown more confident and vocal in raising concerns appropriately. One notably positive experience was accessing the NHS “Here for You” service. Speaking with a psychologist who listened attentively, validated my experiences, and did not judge my feelings was immensely supportive. 

When formal support felt limited, I sought my own strategies to protect my well-being. I reconnected with creative activities such as art and craft, which provided a sense of calm and emotional grounding by allowing me to step away from constant rumination. As the emotional distress also affected my family life, I made a conscious effort to spend more meaningful time with my children. I returned to cooking—an activity I have always enjoyed—which helped restore a sense of normality and balance.

This journey has been challenging, but it has also strengthened my resilience, self-advocacy, and commitment to compassionate, inclusive practice. It has highlighted the importance of psychological safety, cultural sensitivity, and equitable treatment within the healthcare system —not only for patients, but equally for the staff who care for them.”

Speaking up

Health and care professionals have a duty to speak up and act on concerns about safety and when they witness behaviours that are wrong. It’s important that organisations and employers take steps to create environments where people feel safe to do so.

If you experience discrimination from a colleague, you should consider reporting this behaviour to your employer and/or relevant regulator. All NHS employment settings in England have Freedom to Speak Up policies and the National Guardian’s Office can support you in finding equivalent policies and resources in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

You can get more information about the Freedom to Speak Up (FTSU) policy and find your nearest FTSU guardian to learn more. You might also consider reaching out to your trade union or professional body for additional support in making this kind of report.

You can learn more about how to report a concern about an HCPC registrant on our concerns webpage.

Testimonial from a Paramedic, Wales

“I’ve been with the ambulance service for about 15 years now. I joined as a young female paramedic and was one of the few women working at the station at the time. I experienced some inappropriate behaviour and a range of experiences, from a male that made me feel uncomfortable for quite some time.

When I did report it, some of the responses I received were very much downplaying or making light of my concerns. I had comments such as "if you don’t feel safe, maybe you should move stations" or what did you do to encourage it". But what they should have said was “that experience was real, not appropriate and we’ll take action.” 

I didn’t feel listened to or supported when I spoke out, and it has taken a lot to finally come forward. I did feel discriminated against as a female working in a male-dominated field.

There are a lot of barriers in the ambulance service, and for paramedics in particular, in terms of speaking up but even in recognising that something is discrimination. We are made to feel that “it’s just the way things are” and that it’s just expected as part of the job. Culturally, it’s just not something that staff speak about much, and the ever-changing dynamics of the field setting make it difficult to navigate reporting systems. It’s a really big thing to do, to speak up – “what’s going to happen to me next,” “will I remain anonymous,” “will I need to speak out publicly,” “will I be able to progress within the organisation?” There’s so much uncertainty, and people feel powerless to speak up, especially if the harassment or discrimination is coming from a colleague.

I do think things are slowly getting better. There is a lot of work going on within the profession to tackle this. Ambulance services are much more diverse now and we have a more diverse leadership which makes people more comfortable to approach them and report concerns. And the younger generation are just a lot more comfortable speaking out. A few years ago, you might hear an offensive joke or a comment, and you would want to fit in, so you’d laugh or you’d just roll your eyes and move on. But today, what you would hear is “no, I’m not comfortable with that, and that’s not okay.”

Testimonial from an Occupational Therapist, England

“Generally, over the course of my life, I have been very lucky to not experience a lot of discrimination, except in the odd instance. But over the past few years, as a Jewish person, I have felt less lucky. Since 7^th October 2023 and the unfolding of the conflict in Israel and Palestine, there have been more incidents where I have felt extremely unsafe. I have even found myself avoiding certain areas near where I work because of antisemitic posters and signs I have seen.

All synagogues, Jewish schools and community spaces will have security as a primary issue. But even despite security measures being in place, when I’m attending a service at synagogue, I feel more nervous about going now than I did even a few years ago.

Because we’re such a small community, especially in places outside of the big cities, there just aren’t that many of us and I never really see representations of the Jewish community. That is scary because if someone were to find out I was Jewish, I don’t know how that would be taken. It’s hard to mention who I am because people might try to hold all Jewish people accountable for the actions of Israel, regardless of our individual views. And so, I have to stay invisible to remain safe.

You hear of people saying that they don’t like Jewish people or that all Jewish people deserve to die. People forget that we’re just human beings trying to connect with each other and work together.

This fear and anticipation of violence are just things that we’re expected to deal with. It’s difficult to know even who to go to with these things. If I report these things, am I going to be listened to and get empathetic, impartial support?

And if I were to speak up, I would just want an opportunity to voice my experiences and be listened to. I would want to hear how my manager could support me and know that they’re trying to understand how this experience impacts me. I would want to have a safe route to explore what actions might be possible, whether it’s some kind of education or the possibility of a restorative conversation.”

Recording the incident

You may find it helpful to record the incident as soon as possible. You might reflect on, for example: 

You can use our reflective practice template as a tool to help guide your record.

 Many employers have zero-tolerance policies to protect staff against violence. You should review your employer’s policy and discuss with your line manager or senior colleagues to understand what your employer expects of you in these circumstances.
 

Other considerations

In the unacceptable situation when a health and care professional experiences discrimination from a service user, you may need to think about how best to respond to or manage the situation. This might include considering whether it is appropriate to continue providing care. Any decision should be made keeping in mind the safety and wellbeing of the service user.

You should carefully consider factors such as whether ending the interaction would present an unacceptable risk of harm to the service user (for example a serious, immediate deterioration of health or absence of care for a vulnerable person who does not have cognitive capacity).

Where concerns arise, you should seek support from a colleague to ensure the service user is not left without appropriate care. You should make a record, as soon as possible, of your decision making and the factors you took into consideration when deciding on a particular course of action. This may include, but is not limited to:

• the risk to the service user and wider systems of working and refusing care;
• any steps taken to mitigate potential harm;
• consideration of how continuity of care may be provided; and
• discussions with colleagues and/or employers about your concerns.

You should also ensure you are following any relevant workplace policies and consider contacting your professional body for further guidance.