Breaking the Silence – sexual misconduct in surgery
The Royal College of Anaesthetists is committed to supporting the work being undertaken by the Working Party on Sexual Misconduct in Surgery (WPSMS) and we are working to eradicate this behaviour in surgery settings, our specialty and in healthcare.
Background
The anonymous online survey was conducted by the WPSMS in partnership with the University of Exeter and University of Surrey and published in 2022. The College supported the research and invited our members to participate. Responses were received from 1,434 participants, of whom 10.5% were anaesthetists. The research found that:
- Almost two-thirds of women (63.3%) had been the target of sexual harassment from colleagues, along with almost a quarter of men (23.7%).
- The majority of participants (89.5% of women, 81% of men) said they have witnessed some form of sexual misconduct by colleagues.
- Only 16% of those impacted by sexual misconduct made a formal report.
The Working Party on Sexual Misconduct in Surgery (WPSMS) defines sexual misconduct here. We urge all our members to become familiar with these terms as a fundamental part of practice and to properly identify and prevent these behaviours.
The widespread nature of sexual misconduct within the surgical team, which includes sexual harassment, sexual assault and rape, is deeply shocking and concerning. The College is deeply concerned about the effect these behaviours is having on the people affected and we will play our part in working to eradicate this behaviour in healthcare. We will work alongside other organisations to increase our impact in this area where possible.
Anaesthetists and surgeons, along with other healthcare professionals, work closely together in the operating theatre, taking on team leadership roles and supporting each other in what can be a high pressure and stressful environment. Everyone in the team has a duty to speak up if they witness sexual harassment but as team leaders we have a particular responsibility not only to call out misconduct, but to model and reinforce good practice.
What are we doing to support this work?
The College is committed to working with the report authors, the working group, the Royal Colleges of Surgeons and the wider NHS to implement the recommendations and promote the resources available.
Our Council Member Dr Sarah Thornton represents the College on the WPSMS and participated in a roundtable event in 2023 to identify actions to bring about change, which inform the recommendations in the report.
In addition to our work with WPSMS we have signed up to NHS England’s first sexual safety in healthcare charter, which reinforces our commitment to a zero tolerance approach to any unwanted, inappropriate and/or harmful sexual behaviours in the workplace and to ten core principles and actions to help achieve this. We have also joined the British Medical Association’s pledge to end sexism in medicine, committing to working with them and others to address the cultural and structural factors that case sexism in order to improve working conditions for medical students and doctors. We also support the new provisions within Good Medical Practice 2024 to identify these behaviours and eradicate sexual harassment from practice in the UK.
We all deserve to work in a safe environment where we will be treated with dignity and respect. We must do everything we can to defend that right.