NURSES ARE NOW travelling in groups to and from work to try and avoid racially motivated abuse, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation has said.

The claim by the INMO comes after new figures show that hospital staff have been subjected to racial abuse or prejudice on almost 200 occasions in the past five years.

Figures released to The Journal Investigates by the HSE show that the number of incidents of discrimination, prejudice or racial abuse aimed at staff has risen each year, peaking with 59 reports last year

Most of the 183 incidents recorded since the start of 2021 are classified as ‘negligible’, with 19 deemed minor in nature, although the HSE said that “any incident that impacts any member of staff is unacceptable.”

But the INMO said incidents are also occurring away from health settings.

“Sinister” aggression and violence

INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha said: “In the past two years, a more sinister societal aggression and violence is emerging against migrant workers particularly those from India and African countries.”

“In August last year, shocking incidents of blatant racism and subsequent aggressive, violent behaviour towards Indian nationals were reported in the media.”

INMO members have reported to us that they are now travelling in groups both to and from work in order to try avoid racially motivated abuse, particularly on public transport.

International workers make up over 15% of the entire HSE workforce and a HSE spokesperson said ensuring the safety of all employees and service users is a priority.

“The HSE is proud of the organisation’s diverse workforce, all of whom are critical for the provision of services for patients across Ireland.”

“Some instances of discrimination, prejudice, and racial abuse do occur, but they are not a widespread issue in the workplace. However, any incident that impacts any member of staff is unacceptable.”

The spokesperson said that there were a range of active supports available to staff, with a Dignity at Work Policy a “key tool” in health sector organisations’ management of their statutory health and safety responsibilities.

Migrant nurses: “The impact is huge”

Varghese Joy, the National Chairperson of Migrant Nurses Ireland, said the issue was likely under-reported and a “reflection” of trends in broader society. 

“You might experience some mild incident, maybe a verbal comment, not all the time are we going to report it,” he said. 

“The impact is huge, that is the thing about it. When you look [at an incident] under the lens of policy it may appear mild, someone passing comment, but for that person it can be a very deep experience, it could be a very traumatic experience. 

“You are trying to do your best at work, a very hard working day, and any comment from anyone, a colleague or a visitor, it can have a deeper trauma than it appears, that is for sure.

“It does not need to be a physical attack – a verbal comment, maybe an exclusion, can have an impact.”

Joy said there needed to be tighter policies and said one proposed post, for a diversity officer within the HSE, had not been filled.

“We have said this all the time, we need a separate policy to tackle the racist incidents, hate, incidents like that,” he said.

“The other thing is the HSE had promised to appoint a diversity officer to help develop policies and drive these changes to create a more inclusive environment. It has not happened yet, I believe it is still at the planning phase.

Related Reads

'I had no choice but to take the beating': Surging violence and aggression in Irish hospitals

“It would really help.”

Regarding that post, a HSE spokesperson said: “The HSE plans to recruit additional resources to support the delivery of diversity programmes and support a positive culture reflecting the benefits of our diverse workforce. Planning for these additional resources is ongoing.” 

IMO: Racism has a “cumulative” effect

Professor Matthew Sadlier, the incoming President of the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) and current Chair of its Consultant Committee, said racism can have a “cumulative” effect on those who experience it.

The HSE figures only capture what happens on campus and a lot of this will happen off campus,” he said. “We will have staff members who report [incidents] on their way to work. It’s more a general societal thing than a healthcare thing and I am sure if they were working in a shop they would be getting the same abuse and I would say a huge amount of that is under-reported.”

The Register of Nurses and Midwives managed by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) continues to grow and data for 2025 shows the top five countries of education for new entrants last year were India, Ireland, the Philippines, the UK, and Ghana.

A recently published academic paper shows that Ireland relies on migrant nurses and will continue to do so. 

The HSE spokesperson said the Dignity at Work policy was due for review this year. 

The HSE also referenced its Diversity, Equality and Inclusion team, which it said provides an enquiry and support service as well as connecting staff with its Cultural Diversity Network.

Counselling is also available for staff who need it through the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), with an initial offer of up to six sessions. This can be expanded depending on how the staff member has been impacted and can also include trauma counselling.

Earlier this week, The Journal Investigates revealed that overall there have been almost 20,000 incidents of violence, aggression and challenging behaviour recorded across the hospital system, prompting calls for action, including from trade union Siptu.