CW: Sexual harassment
New data reveals that six staff members at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (OUH) were dismissed last year on account of reported sexual misconduct, with an additional eight being disciplined. The figures, which uncover incidents of reported sexual misconduct within the organisation during the 2024/25 financial year, were obtained by means of a Freedom of Information (FOI) request sent by Sexual Abuse Compensation Advice (SACA).
The FOI disclosed that no incidents of sexual misconduct were recorded by the trust in 2022/23 or 2023/24, but that as many as eight incidents were reported during the course of the last financial year, 2024/25. The details regarding the origin of the allegations were withheld by OUH, so it is unclear whether they came from patients, staff, or members of the public.
OUH is one of the UK’s largest teaching hospitals. It runs several major hospital sites across Oxford and its surrounding area, including the John Radcliffe Hospital, Churchill Hospital, and Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in Oxford, as well as the Horton General Hospital in Banbury.
A spokesperson for OUH told Cherwell: “We take any incidents of sexual misconduct incredibly seriously. Everyone in our organisation has the right to work in a safe, respectful culture, free of abuse, harassment, bullying, or other inappropriate behaviour.”
They attributed the stark increase in reported sexual misconduct and dismissals in 2024/25 to “staff feeling supported to recognise sexual harassment and to raise concerns through our continuing work to raise awareness and improve sexual safety”.
Regarding the next steps, the OUH spokesperson told Cherwell: “We are currently in the process of identifying any gaps in how we support our staff and, most importantly, how we can address these. We are working closely with key stakeholders both within and outside OUH to develop our approaches and provide the best possible support.”
SACA emphasised the widespread nature of sexual misconduct in the UK’s medical industry, beyond individual NHS trusts such as OUH. In the report, they cited recent analysis of Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) decisions,which found that nearly a quarter of all the tribunal cases heard within a single year involved sexual misconduct, with over half of those cases involving sexual assault allegations. Among the cases where misconduct was proven, 65% resulted in doctors being erased from the medical register, while 35% led only to suspension.
