A disturbing new report reveals that female surgeons are being sexually harassed, assaulted and sometimes raped by colleagues in the UK.
This is according to a widescale analysis of National Health Service staff.
BBC News reported the findings exclusively this morning (12 September), sharing stories from women, including those who have faced sexual assault in the operating theatre during surgery.
The study shows a pattern of female trainees being abused by senior male surgeons and suggests that sexual misconduct in the past five years has been experienced widely, with women affected disproportionately.
According to the authors, little is being done to address such assaults, and they conclude that ‘accountable organisations are not regarded as dealing adequately with this issue’.
The analysis was jointly delivered by the University of Exeter, the University of Surrey and the Working Party on Sexual Misconduct in Surgery (WPSMS), an organisation founded in 2022 to shed light on vital data in order to create an environment of ‘sexual safety in the surgical environment’.
Some 1,704 individuals participated, with 1,434 (51.5% women) eligible for primary unweighted analyses. Weighted analyses, grounded in NHS England surgical workforce population data, used 756 NHS England participants. Weighted and unweighted analyses showed that, compared with men, women were significantly more likely to report witnessing – and be a target of – sexual misconduct.
Their analysis shows that:
• Among women, 63.3% reported being the target of sexual harassment versus 23.7% of men (89.5% witnessing versus 81.0% of men)
• Additionally, 29.9% of women had been sexually assaulted versus 6.9% of men (35.9% witnessing versus 17.1% of men)
• 10.9% of women experienced forced physical contact for career opportunities (a form of sexual assault) versus 0.7% of men
• Being raped by a colleague was reported by 0.8% of women versus 0.1% of men (1.9% witnessing versus 0.6% of men).
Evaluations of healthcare-related organisations’ adequacy in handling sexual misconduct were significantly lower among women than men, ranging from 15.1% for the General Medical Council (GMC) to 31.1% for the Royal Colleges (men’s evaluations: 48.6% and 60.2%, respectively).
The findings from Christopher T Begeny and colleagues illustrate that women and men in the surgical workforce are experiencing very different realities.
For women, being around colleagues more often means witnessing and being a target of sexual misconduct.
The full study results can be found here.
The BBC reports: ‘It is widely accepted there is a culture of silence around such behaviour. Surgical training relies on learning from senior colleagues in the operating theatre. Women have told us it is risky to speak out about those who have power and influence over their future careers. The report, published in the British Journal of Surgery, attempts to get a sense of the scale.’
Recommendations for change
The WPSMS is now making recommendations for change in its report, Breaking the Silence Addressing Sexual Misconduct in Healthcare.
It also shares insights into victims’ experiences, with one revealing: ‘I was told that my complaint was possibly the 4th or 5th about this consultant. I was told not to refer to it as sexual harassment as this could be defamation of the consultant, which could be used against me legally. Incidents were raised to both training programme directors, and I was told it was taken to the hospital clinical director. The consultant remains employed four years later.’
Another victim writes in an impact statement: ‘I was sexually assaulted by a trusted recent clinical supervisor one evening at a conference when I was a first-year registrar trainee. He was drunk, he touched my breasts and punched my arm when I tried to get away, bruising me. Sometime later, he started calling me and threatened my career if I spoke to anyone about the incident. A senior mentor I approached for advice informed me he was known for this behaviour. Why had no one warned me? I had trusted this man.
‘The deanery told me they did not want to hear the details or be involved. This was a police matter, not a training matter. The police were kind and spent time talking to me, but made it clear that I lacked evidence and that any action they could take would be limited.
I have had to live with this incident on many levels. I lost trust in someone I looked up to, and I lost faith in my ability to judge people and my relationships. As a woman, I feared repeat incidents in all areas of my life. As a trainee, I listened to sexual jokes from colleagues and feared they would attack me. I am still too scared to attend any work social event, and I still never allow myself to be in a closed room with a male colleague or patient.
People have defended the perpetrator, blamed me, not believed me or have normalised the incident. I am aware of others who have been sexually harassed by him both before and after myself. I feel powerless to protect those who are yet to be subject to his behaviour. He remains in post.’
The authors of the WPSMS report, Professor Carrie Newlands, Consultant Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon and Co-Lead WPSMS; Philippa Jackson, Consultant Plastic Surgeon and WPSMS member; and Tamzin Cuming, Consultant Colorectal Surgeon, Chair of Women in Surgery at RCS England and Co-Lead WPSMS, are now for a swathe of changes to be made by those who have the power to do so.
They note: ‘Those who have been impacted by sexual misconduct rarely report it for multiple reasons, based around fear and lack of faith in those currently tasked with investigating reports. There is insufficient expertise and a lack of organisational memory around this complex matter within individual healthcare organisations. Moreover, perpetrators are often powerful individuals, and there is a culture of complicity.’
Among their requests, they are asking the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and accountable organisations to support:
• A National Implementation Panel to oversee progress by organisations on the recommendations in this report
• Reform of reporting and investigation processes of sexual misconduct in healthcare to improve safety and confidence in raising concerns and to ensure investigations are external, independent and fit for purpose.
Additionally, they are calling for every NHS Trust and healthcare provider to have an appropriate, specific and clear Sexual Violence/Sexual Safety Policy in place with all healthcare educational bodies and professional associations to have an appropriate, specific and clear Code of Conduct, which includes sexual behaviour.
‘These codes should be signed up to by those employed by, study at, and belong to these entities, and should apply both within the workplace and at work-related events such as conferences,’ they urge.
They conclude: ‘There needs to be a safe reporting system where victims can speak up without fear, which encourages confidence in reporting and results in a just outcome. Healthcare needs to be a safe and welcoming environment in which to work. We do not want colleagues leaving a career because they were sexually assaulted. We want robust mechanisms put in place to ensure that perpetrators’ behaviours are addressed and that justice prevails for those who have been silenced and damaged.’
There is also a list of agencies set up to offer support. These can be found on pages 29-30 of the report.
