The National Health Service is taking decisive action to combat antisemitism following a government-ordered review that uncovered widespread discrimination against Jewish patients and staff. Lord Mann, the government's adviser on antisemitism, found that anti-Jewish hatred within the NHS forces some patients to conceal their identity and leaves staff suffering in silence.
Key Measures Announced
In response to the 60-page report published on Thursday, the NHS will implement several changes as an urgent priority. These include restricting staff's freedom to display political symbols on uniforms and mandating antisemitism training for the chairs and chief executives of all 205 health trusts in England within the next six months.
Impact on Jewish Patients and Staff
Lord Mann's review highlights that antisemitism is so pervasive it threatens the NHS's foundation as a universal service. Jewish patients have reported avoiding or delaying essential medical care due to fears of discrimination. The report also documents shocking examples of intimidation and abuse within the health service, with some Jewish staff considering leaving their jobs due to distress.
Rebecca Gray, a director at the NHS Alliance, noted that the experience of the Jewish community has worsened since the review was commissioned. She pointed to the arson attack on a Hatzola ambulance station in Golders Green in April as a clear sign of growing antisemitism reaching health services.
Broader Anti-Racism Efforts
The moves will target all forms of racism and discrimination, including racism against black and ethnic minority staff and Islamophobia. The latest staff survey revealed that Jewish staff are the only religious group reporting increasing discrimination from colleagues. Lord Mann emphasised that if people feel they must hide their identity or suffer in silence, the universality of the NHS is fundamentally breached.
Wes Streeting, who commissioned the report when he was health secretary, previously stated that the NHS is bearing the brunt of Britain's return to ugly 1970s and 1980s-style racism.
Disciplinary Actions
Two doctors, Manoj Sen and Mohammed Asif Munaf, have been struck off the medical register and banned from practising due to antisemitic behaviour. Another doctor, Rahmeh Aladwan, is due to stand trial next year on charges related to supporting Hamas and stirring up racial hatred. The General Medical Council received 779 complaints of alleged antisemitism by UK doctors between October 2023 and December 2025, with 86 cases investigated.
Prof Nicola Ranger, general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, stressed that it is essential for staff to be safe at work, but racism, violence, aggression, and sexual harassment have become alarmingly normalised.
Helen Morgan, the Liberal Democrat health spokesperson, welcomed the action to stop the spread of the poison of all forms of racism in the NHS.
