The NHS is introducing new measures to combat antisemitism following a government-ordered review that found Jewish patients and staff face 'routine ostracism' within the health service. The review, led by Lord Mann, the government's adviser on antisemitism, will be published on Thursday and details 'shocking examples of intimidation and abuse'.
Among the changes, NHS staff will have their freedom to display political symbols on uniforms restricted, and the chairs and chief executives of all 205 health trusts in England will undergo mandatory antisemitism training within six months. The moves are part of a broader effort to tackle all forms of racism and discrimination, including Islamophobia and racism against black and ethnic minority staff.
Lord Mann's 60-page report highlights that some Jewish patients have delayed or avoided seeking treatment due to antisemitism, and that Jewish staff are the only religious group reporting growing discrimination from colleagues. 'If people feel they have to hide their identity as patients or suffer in silence as staff, then the universality of the NHS is fundamentally breached,' Mann said.
The review was commissioned by Wes Streeting last year when he was health secretary, after reports of doctors making antisemitic comments. Two doctors, Manoj Sen and Mohammed Asif Munaf, have been struck off the medical register for antisemitic behaviour, while another, Rahmeh Aladwan, is due to stand trial on charges including inviting support for Hamas.
The General Medical Council received 779 complaints of alleged antisemitism by UK doctors between October 2023 and December 2025, often related to social media posts, and investigated 86 cases. Prof Nicola Ranger of the Royal College of Nursing said it was 'alarming' that racism, violence and aggression had become normalised in the NHS.
