Last week, BIMA wrote to the Rt Hon Wes Streeting MP, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, to urge action on the issues we raised during our recent meeting. During that meeting, we discussed the urgent need to address Islamophobia, racial inequality, and the impact of rising hate on NHS staff, as well as the importance of ensuring equitable career progression and representation across the health service.

Following the government’s announcement of a review into antisemitism and other forms of racism in the NHS, today we have also written to Lord Mann, who will lead the review, and to Sir James Mackey, Chief Executive of NHS England.

In our letters, we reiterated that more must be done to address Islamophobia and all forms of racism, including anti-Black racism and anti-Palestinian racism. Evidence shows that hate incidents are rising within the NHS, impacting minority staff and contributing to ongoing disparities in career progression and attainment.

While we welcome the government’s zero-tolerance approach to antisemitism alongside other forms of racism, we also raised concerns about the adoption of the IHRA definition as the framework to do this. We cautioned that it risks being used to silence legitimate criticism of the actions of the State of Israel, which could undermine humanitarian advocacy within the NHS. You can read these letters below.

BIMA continues to advocate for a truly inclusive, fair, and safe working environment for all NHS staff. This must mean there is no hierarchy of racism or discrimination, every form of hatred must be taken seriously and tackled with equal determination.

Letter to Rt Hon Wes Streeting:

Letter to Lord Mann:

Letter to NHSE: