An independent review into antisemitism within the NHS has recommended that health service workers should be prohibited from wearing pro-Palestinian badges and political insignia while on duty. The review, led by Lord John Mann, the Government's independent advisor on antisemitism, found that Jewish patients and staff are concealing their faith due to fear of harassment, with some staff considering leaving the NHS altogether.
Key recommendations
The review, commissioned last year, calls for a series of sweeping measures to tackle antisemitism. These include stronger accountability for NHS managers, improved recording and monitoring of racist incidents, facilitating more patients to record their ethnicity, and banning the wearing of scrubs or uniforms at political protests. The report also recommends prohibiting NHS employees from wearing political insignia while at work, as Jewish patients have reported experiencing discrimination to the point of delaying or avoiding crucial medical care.
Government response
The Government has pledged to move swiftly to implement the findings. Health Secretary James Murray stated that racism and discrimination 'betray everything the NHS stands for and its ability to provide safe, world-class care'. He added: 'Lord John Mann has made a series of robust and practical recommendations which we are accepting. I know that Jewish people – and everyone experiencing discrimination – need action, not words.'
Former health secretary Wes Streeting had already agreed in March to give regulators the power to strike off practitioners who use 'intolerably racist and anti-Semitic language'. This followed cases such as that of Dr Rahmeh Aladwan, a trauma and orthopaedic surgeon who was allowed to keep working despite making a 'slit your throat' gesture at Jewish protesters and posting anti-Semitic tirades online. She was later barred from practising for 15 months but denied making racist comments.
Staff and patient experiences
Doctor Richard Caplan described antisemitism as being 'quite freely expressed' among colleagues, noting that the October 7, 2023 attacks were a 'turning point'. He told the BBC: 'The informal political discussions about recent events have quickly turned from being quite a measured discussion between colleagues into quite literally pointing out the irony of what's going on in Gaza and comparing it to the Holocaust. This has become a widely accepted fact and perfectly acceptable thing to say.'
Rabbi Charley Baginsky, co-lead of the movement for progressive Judaism, said the consequences of global warfare, particularly the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, are 'making its way into hospital beds', increasing the vulnerability of Jewish citizens.
New training and standards
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said a new staff standard will be introduced, setting minimum expectations for how organisations must prevent, respond to, and learn from incidents of racism. Mandatory anti-racism training, specifically including antisemitism, will be put in place for NHS trust chairs and chief executives within six months. Existing mandatory training on equality, diversity and human rights for 1.5 million staff will be updated to include 'quality-assured content' on antisemitism and anti-Muslim hostility.
Lord Mann described Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) training as the 'only way' of tackling antisemitism in the medical workplace, adding the need for more 'basic training'. He told the BBC: 'If you don't understand that a Jewish person going into hospital would not be comfortable eating a ham sandwich, then you are not doing your job properly.'
Broader context
The report joins several other independent reviews of antisemitism across various sectors, which were commissioned after the October 2025 deadly terror attack on Heaton Park Synagogue in Crumpsall, Manchester. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said there was a need for a wider review into the NHS because 'in some cases, clear cases are simply not being dealt with'.
The Government said intended reforms will 'benefit everyone who experiences hatred or abuse in the health service', not just victims of antisemitism. Lord Mann concluded: 'Jewish people have to be confident that they will receive the same treatment as everyone else, at all times in all situations. If people feel, as they do, that some have to hide their identity as patients or suffer in silence as staff, then the universality of the NHS is fundamentally breached.'
The NHS Alliance, representing NHS trusts, said it would work with members 'to support them to implement the recommendations in their organisations'. Director Rebecca Gray said: 'Everyone deserves to feel that they belong in our society and we must work towards taking a zero-tolerance approach to prejudice in all its forms.' Dean Royles, interim chief executive of NHS Employers, added: 'Employers and NHS leaders know that good employment practices and expectations around behaviour are paramount and will take on the recommendations and feedback from the review.'
