Doctors' professional standards updated to 'zero tolerance' approach to sexual harassment

ITV News' Social Affairs Correspondent Stacey Foster reports on the updates to the standards that regulate doctors working in the UK

For the first time in a decade, the General Medical Council (GMC), which regulates doctors, has updated its professional standards, saying there will be a zero tolerance approach to sexual harassment.

The regulator has on Tuesday published an update in Good Medical Practice which details the principles, values and standards expected of doctors working in the UK.

Sexual harassment of colleagues is covered explicitly for the first time.

The guidance specifies that doctors "must not act in a sexual way towards colleagues with the effect or purpose of causing offence, embarrassment, humiliation or distress".

The standards also make clear this includes verbal or written comments and displaying or sharing images, as well as physical contact.

The guidance has been updated for the time in a decade. Credit: PA

It adds to existing guidance that doctors must not act in a sexual way towards patients or use their professional position to "pursue a sexual or improper emotional relationship".

And for the first time, the guidance also sets out what doctors should do if they witness bullying or harassment.Those who witness unacceptable behaviour, including any form of bullying, discrimination or harassment, are told to do something about it.

Roshana Mehdian-Staffelln has been training for 12 years to become an NHS Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgeon, but in the hospitals where she has worked, she's also been subjected to misogyny and sexual harassment from male colleagues."He just pushed me against a wall and put his hand up my shirt and tried to kiss me and I was in total shock," the surgeon said about one experience.

"I managed to turn my head in time and bat him away.

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"I didn't (report him) - in that circumstance, it was a very junior doctor's word against a very senior doctor's word."

Dame Carrie MacEwen, chair of the GMC, said: "Sexual harassment, bullying and discrimination are entirely unacceptable.

"Where workplace cultures of this kind of behaviour go unchecked, they are detrimental to wellbeing, performance and patient safety.

"Doctors are increasingly, and bravely, speaking out about it, and as a regulator, it is important we leave no doubt that such behaviour has no place in our health services.

"Those who experience harassment or discrimination must feel supported to speak out, by employers, peers, managers and leaders.

"Hopefully we'll be able to demonstrate that this, and along with other things that we're doing, will improve the retention of doctors which will therefore improve patient safety."

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