Call It Out: RCSEd’s Commitment to Eradicating Sexual Misconduct in Surgery

Since 2017, our ‘Let’s Remove It Hub’ has been dedicated to tackling bullying and undermining across the surgical workforce. In our continued efforts to foster a safer environment, we recently updated the Hub to include tools to help eradicate sexual misconduct from our profession.

As part of our commitment to raising awareness of sexual harassment and encouraging a zero tolerance stance on sexual misconduct in healthcare, Anna Paisley, Consultant Upper GI Surgeon, Council Member of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) and Patient Safety Group Chair, recently spoke to the British Medical Journal (BMJ) about sexual misconduct in the workplace.

Anna said:

“Incidences of sexual misconduct simply should not happen.

“In the workplace, we must engender a culture which makes such toxic behaviours totally unacceptable. Being on the receiving end of sexual misconduct or inappropriate behaviour can be incapacitating, so it’s important to make people aware that there are steps that can be taken to help deal with the personal impact.

“Be safe. Make sure you are not in immediate physical danger. If the event does not amount to a crime immediately notifiable to the police, I would always try to make the perpetrator aware that their actions are unwanted and inappropriate. ‘Call it out’.

“Sometimes the person is unaware of the effect their actions are having and explaining this, with details of how they are breaching any workplace polices, may deal with the situation.

“Record it. Make a detailed record of the event as soon as possible, noting particularly if there were any witnesses. Hopefully with increased awareness and training, bystanders can be more active, but they can also be negatively affected by such events. If the harassment included any messages or emails, make sure copies are downloaded and stored.

“Reach out, not inward. I would always combine this record with speaking to a trusted friend, colleague, or family member about the event. If this isn’t possible, the peer counselling offered by the BMA or similar services can be useful.

“Report it. An informal approach may be unsuccessful or unsuitable due to immediate danger or the seriousness of the event. In such cases, formal action is needed. Sexual assault is a crime and should be reported to the police. Employers are required to have processes in place and a referral to a regulator, such as the GMC or NMC, should be considered.”

To read the article in full, visit here.

The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh’s ‘Let’s Remove It’ campaign provides a wealth of resources for all healthcare professionals to encourage zero tolerance of sexual misconduct.

To find out more, visit here.