NHS staff intimidated and fearful of harassment, union claims

NHS staff are being harassed by members of the public filming them with phones and threatening to post footage online, according to new research.

Unison said a survey of thousands of UK health workers revealed that one in seven have experienced unwanted and intrusive filming or photography in the past year.

The union said incidents are leaving staff feeling intimidated and fearful.

Experiences have included people using their phones to film health workers on duty or giving emergency care as they treat patients for cardiac arrests and then that footage being livestreamed or put on social media platforms, the study revealed.

Phone cameras are also being as used as the digital equivalent of “rubbernecking”, said the union, with one member of the public brazenly filming a victim of a car accident with serious injuries despite pleas from staff to stop.

The culprit had to be escorted from the scene by police.

NHS workers say phones, webcams and other hidden devices are being commonly used, often accompanied by threats to intimidate staff or as bargaining tools, to attempt to get medication prescribed.

Incidents are occurring in hospitals, patients’ homes and even during medical consultations, with the footage being livestreamed to relatives who sometimes interrupt and disagree with diagnoses being given by clinical staff, said Unison.

One member of staff said: “Patients think they can get their own way (and make you do things you don’t have to) by getting a phone out and filming just to intimidate you.”

Unison general secretary Christina McAnea said: “Health workers must be able to do their jobs free from harassment, unwanted and intrusive filming and associated threats of violence.

“Their work is tough enough as it is, without people shoving phones in their faces and putting them under a whole new level of pressure.

“Harassing NHS workers through social media, or threatening to post material online, is completely unacceptable.

“Employers and the Government must take this issue seriously, provide solid support and intervene properly, not abandon staff to tackle the online bullies themselves.

“Employers should make it clear that filming staff at work without consent is harassment and that they will come down hard on anyone who indulges in this kind of threatening anti-social behaviour.”

The survey was released on the opening day of Unison’s annual health conference in Liverpool.

Published: 07/04/2025 by Radio NewsHub