Sexual Safety in Medicine- It’s time to intervene

Over recent years, the tireless work of expert working groups has shone a light on harrowing experiences of sexual harassment and sexual violence in medicine. Up until recently, a dismissive and permissive culture has enabled these behaviours to go unchallenged, with damaging consequences for those affected. We spoke to Dr Shirley Remington, consultant anesthetist, previous director of medical education and medical director, and associate at DoctorsTraining, about the new guidance on sexual safety and what it means for NHS trusts and all who work in the NHS.

As of October 2024, under an amendment to the Equality Act 2010, employers must take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment of their workers, including by third parties. This means employers must be proactive in assessing risk, identifying action and regularly reviewing their processes.

There is now a legal requirement to offer education and training on sexual safety as well as creating systematic ways to support those who come forward and raise the issue. GMC Good Medical Practice has also included a statement about sexual behaviour, and an obligation to act on witnessed incidents.

Dr Remington told us “this is a Golden opportunity to provide guidance on how to intervene effectively and safely, to discuss unconscious bias, perceptions and social norms, develop skills that foster psychological safety and compassionate culture and identify and eliminate microaggressions”. She went on to describe the need to have a clear and systematic way of supporting those who disclose sexual harassment or sexual violence and she signposts us to the 2024 NHS England sexual misconduct policy and flowchart.

Our training goes beyond compliance, providing tools on how to be an active bystander as well as how to support victims. We also equip individuals with the skills to to support colleagues with protected characteristics.
Let’s tackle sexual safety together!