New data shows recorded cases of sexual misconduct in the NHS quadrupled in recent years
29 June 2026
The Association of Anaesthetists has shown that recorded cases of sexual misconduct have increased across the NHS.
The information obtained through Freedom of Information requests reveals the number of recorded cases of misconduct involving staff in the NHS increased over a five-year period.
The data included responses from almost 90 NHS trusts and health boards across the UK and recorded a total of 674 sexual misconduct cases.
The figures show recorded misconduct cases nearly quadrupled over the five-year period, with totals in the final year almost double those recorded just two years earlier.
- 62 cases in 2020/1
- 74 cases in 2021/2
- 125 cases in 2022/3
- 172 cases in 2023/4
- 241 cases in 2024/5
In recent years, policies including the Freedom to Speak Up framework, NHS Patient Safety Strategy, and NHS England’s National Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF) have been introduced, however this data raises questions about the effectiveness of NHS policies designed to tackle sexual misconduct.
Dr James Brooks, former chair of the Association of Anaesthetists’ Resident Doctors Committee said:
“The rise in recorded numbers of sexual misconduct are alarming, especially as so many initiatives and policies have been put in place to reduce it. Personal staff safety in the NHS is paramount to patient safety, and the Association of Anaesthetists will collaborate with partner organisations to ensure safety across all organisations anaesthetists work in.”