Healthcare is at risk of being undermined as doctors and other healthcare staff face ‘a sustained campaign of anti-migrant rhetoric’ the BMA has warned.
The association has joined seven other trade unions in demanding an end to the ‘escalating use of hostile language’ against people from overseas living in the UK, in a joint statement published today.
The statement, which has been backed by organisations including the Royal College of Nursing, the Society of Radiographers along with Unison, Unite and the Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association, calls on politicians and the media to end the spread of misinformation which is resulting in the ‘blatant scapegoating of migrant communities’.
It says: ‘Our health and social care sector is built on the hard work and rich diversity of its workforce. Many of our colleagues, especially those from international backgrounds or perceived as ethnically distinct from the majority population, are facing a sustained campaign of anti-migrant rhetoric.
‘The escalating use of hostile language allows some political parties to exploit fear and promote division and emboldens those in society who seek to intimidate.
‘This rhetoric also comes at a time when the rights of those who live and work in the UK to continue to make the UK their home are being openly questioned, including tens of thousands of people working within the health and social care sector. People are unsettled and frightened, with some directly experiencing hate and violence at work and within their communities.’