NHS Confederation responds to new GMC standards to prevent sexual harassment
Responding to new professional standards on what constitutes sexual harassment as part of the General Medical Council's (GMC) 'Good Medical Practice' guide, Samantha Allen, Chair of the NHS Confederation’s Health and Care Women Leaders Network, said:
"As a network we are firmly committed to ensuring women working within the NHS work in environments that are physically and psychologically safe. In fact, this should be a basic requirement for all staff working within the NHS. It is sad to even think that too many of our staff do not have the opportunity to do this and this is frankly unacceptable and something we all have a part to play in changing.
"With a workforce that is almost 80 per cent women, it is crucial that NHS organisations take action. Given the direct correlation between the experience of staff and the quality of patient care, we can not sit back and just accept this anymore. We therefore welcome the work the GMC has done to define those lines that should never be crossed and call upon all NHS Chief Executives to do the same within their organisations, collectively being clear that enough is enough.
"The Health and Care Women Leader’s Network will continue to champion safe, inclusive work environments where all are given equal opportunity to thrive."
