A crackdown on anti-Semitism will see NHS employees banned from wearing pro-Palestine badges at work. New guidance is set to be issued on NHS uniforms which will prohibit employees from wearing any political symbols at work. This includes badges promoting political causes, shirts and scarves, but it does not include religious symbols such as a Star of David or a cross.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) confirmed that the “urgent review” into anti-Semitism comes after “recent incidents of anti-Semitism from doctors, which drew stark attention to problems of culture and the regulation in the health system”. A junior doctor in the NHS recently avoided punishment after she referred to Hamas as “martyrs”, made a “slit your throat” gesture to Jewish protesters and claimed the Holocaust was “fabricated”. The new crackdown will also see every NHS staff member undergo compulsory training on anti-Semitism and anti-racism.
Sir Keir Starmer announced the measures during a visit to the Community Security Trust (CST), which provides protection for Jewish communities.
The prime minister said: “The discrimination staff and patients have faced because of their race or religion goes against everything our country stands for.
“The NHS was built on the principle that everyone should be treated equally and with respect, and I am determined to restore this to the heart of the health service.”
He has asked Lord John Mann, the Government’s anti-Semitism official, to review medical regulations “to root out this problem and ensure perpetrators are always held to account”.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting added that he “will not tolerate” the “recent incidents of anti-Semitism by NHS doctors”.
“There can be no place in our NHS for doctors or staff continuing to practise after even persistently using anti-Semitic or hateful language,” he said.
“Patients put their lives in the hands of healthcare professionals. They treat us at our most vulnerable. They therefore have a special responsibility to provide total comfort and confidence.”
Under the new rules, anti-Semitic doctors may be immediately suspended while they await a tribunal.
NHS trusts and organisations will abide by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of anti-Semitism, which states: “Anti-Semitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews.
“Rhetorical and physical manifestations of anti-Semitism are directed towards Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, towards Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”