Sexual misconduct in surgery

Sexual misconduct has no place in healthcare. The Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England) is committed to a zero-tolerance approach. We are working in partnership with the Working Party on Sexual Misconduct in Surgery (WPSMS), NHS England, government, and regulators to tackle this issue and support those affected.  

Our work builds on the WPSMS’ landmark report Breaking the Silence: Addressing Sexual Misconduct in Healthcare (2023) and our latest publication Turning the Tide: Progress and Actions to Support Targets of Sexual Misconduct in Surgery (2025).

Support

If you experience or witness sexual harassment or assault in the workplace, and feel able to do, you can report such incidents through your employer's procedures and, where appropriate, to the police. We recognise that reporting can be difficult — third-party support is available to help you navigate these challenges. 

RCS England offers a 24/7 Confidential Support and Advice Service. Members can access this helpline on 0800 028 0199 for legal guidance or emotional support from trained counsellors.

Other sources of support include:

Understanding the scale of the problem 

The WPSMS’ 2023 report Breaking the Silence exposed the alarming prevalence of sexual misconduct, sexual harassment, and sexual assault in healthcare. The survey revealed that nearly one in three female surgeons had been sexually assaulted by a colleague, and two-thirds had experienced sexual harassment.

In 2023, for the first time, both the NHS Staff Survey and the GMC National Training Survey included questions on unwanted sexual behaviour. 

The NHS Staff Survey 2025 found that 8.82% of all NHS staff and 9.61% of medical and dental staff in training had been the target of unwanted sexual behaviour in the NHS from patients, service users, their relatives or other members of the public. Read our response.

The GMC National Training Survey 2024 reported that 16% of women in surgical training reported experiencing unwelcome sexual comments or advances. Read our response.

Data from the 2025 UK Surgical Workforce Census will add new insights later this year. 

Our actions in tackling sexual misconduct

Working closely with the WPSMS, we have appointed our Vice-President, Professor Vivien Lees and, at a staff level, Lucy Davies, Executive Director, to oversee the implementation of our work to end sexual misconduct in the NHS. We have also appointed Professor Rosalind Searle, an independent expert advisor.

1. Strengthening reporting and accountability

  • We are calling for a national independent anonymous reporting mechanism to ensure staff can raise concerns safely and with confidence. 
  • We publicly challenged the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) regarding the adequacy of their processes, advocating for consistent and appropriate sanctions for perpetrators. We provided feedback on the MPTS' decision-making methodology and sanctions bandings for sexual misconduct cases. In May 2025, representatives from RCS England and the WPSMS visited MPTS to discuss improvements. MPTS were receptive to our concerns and have promised to act on our feedback. We are expecting updated guidance in Autumn 2025.  
  • We continue to meet with and hold to account the General Medical Council, General Dental Council, and Professional Standards Authority, ensuring they improve their handling of sexual misconduct cases. 

2. Working with government and the NHS

  • We are lobbying government and NHS England to ensure the National Sexual Misconduct Policy Framework is fully implemented. Launched on the same day as our joint WPSMS/ RCS England in 2024, the Framework marks a pivot shift – for the first time, all NHS organisations are required to have local anonymous reporting mechanisms for sexual misconduct in place. This milestone delivers on key recommendations from the WPSMS. Our focus now is ensuring the Framework is consistently embedded across the NHS.
  • We continue to work with parliamentarians and government officials to ensure that sexual misconduct in healthcare is taken seriously. In 2023, Tamzin Cuming, Chair of the WPSMS, gave evidence to the Women and Equalities Committee on sexual assault and harassment within the NHS. In 2024, Baroness Merron, Minister for Patient Safety and Women’s Health, spoke at an RCS-hosted WPSMS meeting on supporting and reporting processes.

3. Policies and code of conduct

4. Changing culture through education

We are committed to developing training and resources to support safer workplaces and this culture change starts with our own activities and networks. Our forthcoming Code of Conduct training package will support everyone in College-appointed and elected roles, and staff, in upholding, embedding and role modelling the behavioural standards we set out in our Code of Conduct. The training will include active bystander intervention, specifically addressing sexual misconduct, and will provide wider support and resources for individuals to take back to their own workplaces.

5. Culture and performance

We have diversity, equity and inclusion firmly rooted in our strategy, values and operational delivery and we have made significant governance changes to ensure diversity in our leadership and in our activities. 

Read more about our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion work.

Research

The latest research published in the Bulletin highlights serious shortcomings in how the MPTS addresses sexual misconduct by doctors. 

Key findings:  

  • Of 222 MPTS tribunal cases analysed (August 2023–August 2024), 55 involved sexual misconduct, including harassment, rape, and child abuse. 
  • Nearly one in four sanctions (23.9%) were more lenient than GMC recommendations. In no case was a tougher sanction imposed. 
  • All perpetrators were male doctors, with over 80% in positions of authority. 
  • 65% of proven cases led to erasure from the GMC register, while 35% resulted only in a short suspension. 
  • Several cases involved multiple targets, exposing repeated and systemic abuse.

Read the research
Please note that this research contains information and experiences that are distressing and may be triggering to some. Please get in touch with the RCS England Confidential Support and Advice Line on 0800 028 0199 to talk to a trained counsellor. 

These findings reinforce our calls for robust, consistent, and transparent sanctions in sexual misconduct cases and underline the urgent need for an independent national anonymous reporting mechanism.

Join the conversation

We are committed to open discussion and awareness-raising:

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