Independent review
Lord Mann review on antisemitism and other forms of racism in the NHS
Government response
The government responded to the review on 4 June 2026.
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.
The government confirms support for the review's recommendations that are for DHSC and NHS England to act on, with some recommendations subject to consultation.
- For recommendations actionable by system partners such as regulators rather than DHSC or NHS England, the government "support[s] these recommendations in principle" and encourages those organisations to consider them.
- Some recommendations are "subject to the need to consult", including adding Jewish and Sikh as ethnicities in NHS data collection standards, amendments to the performers list regime and potential changes to legislation.
- The government is asking NHS England to adopt its definition of anti-Muslim hostility and to set clear expectations that every trust, integrated care board and arm's length body does the same.
- The government commits to reporting back to Parliament, with an initial update by October 2026 and a detailed report within 12 months of publication of the review.
About this review
Summary written by this siteAn urgent review led by Lord John Mann examining how the NHS, including employers and UK health regulators, identify, report and respond to antisemitism and other forms of racism.
Recommendations 26
Recommendation 1
the Department of Health and Social Care and the NHS should adopt the 7 NHS Race and Health Observatory workforce principles and encourage wider NHS organisations to do so.
Recommendation 2
the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care should consider including Jewish and Sikh as ethnicities in data collection.
Recommendation 3
in considering their work to develop robust, evidence-based workforce race equality standard (WRES) action plans, with specific, measurable targets, trusts should ensure they monitor progress against WRES action, applying the 'explain or reform' principles for any persistent inequalities.
Recommendation 4
NHS boards and leaders should be held accountable for race equality and staff experience metrics, as part of the recently added score in the NHS Oversight Framework (NOF) that will support compliance with the new NHS Staff Standards.
Recommendation 5
there should be board-level oversight of all investigations related to racism through annual reporting on volume, themes, outcomes and timelines, deep-dives into hotspots or repeated patterns, and assurance that recommendations are implemented and monitored.
Recommendation 6
NHS England should work with system partners, such as the NHS Race and Health Observatory, to strengthen how it supports and celebrates organisations that make positive progress in the anti-racism agenda.
Recommendation 7
all NHS board members and senior leaders should have explicit, measurable equality, diversity and inclusion objectives embedded within their performance goals.
Recommendation 8
NHS England should update national uniform guidance, in line with reviewing broader guidelines for those in the NHS using its name, logo or branding, including in relation to social media accounts.
Recommendation 9
all staff, including volunteers and sub-contracted staff, should be made fully aware of and have easy access to the documents, contracts and agreements that contain details of the expectations on them with respect to anti-racism, discrimination and fostering an inclusive NHS culture.
Recommendation 10
the Department of Health and Social Care should work across the health and care regulators, including the Care Quality Commission, to secure an agreed approach on definitions of racism and religious hatred.
Recommendation 11
the staff experience questions in the annual NHS staff survey should be reviewed, with input from a wide range of staff representatives and networks, to ensure they continue to be relevant in capturing ethnic minority staff's experience of racism and discrimination in the NHS.
Recommendation 12
training for Patient Advice and Liaison Services and/or complaints handlers should be rolled out to better identify and handle complaints about racism and support their organisations in responding to racism.
Recommendation 13
a single national set of policy frameworks should be developed and clearly signposted to support more effective handling and investigation of racial harassment and discrimination.
Recommendation 14
trusts should take into account the relevant Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) code in developing their processes and strongly consider routes for early intervention and resolution.
Recommendation 15
the Care Quality Commission (CQC), working with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), should make greater use of powers to inspect NHS organisations on their equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) performance.
Recommendation 16
health and care system and professional regulators should establish a taskforce to clarify and reinforce the appropriate mechanisms, including the emerging concerns protocol, for sharing information about local areas of concern, racist incidents, thematic issues related to antisemitism and other forms of racism.
Recommendation 17
the existing inter-regulatory equality, diversity and inclusion working group should be strengthened to provide a dedicated forum for sharing good practice, and the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care should convene a dedicated session or roundtable for regulatory bodies on addressing antisemitism, and other forms of racism.
Recommendation 18
the Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England and the Care Quality Commission should work with the health and care professional regulators to develop a clear, single set of national guidance for employers (in England), clearly defining employers' responsibilities in tackling discrimination incidents and providing guidance and examples of the types of incidents that may require a regulatory referral, to build consistency. This guidance should complement and build on work that regulators already do to support employers to determine when incidents might also be referred to a regulator alongside the employer taking action or referring matters to the police. This should also be publicly available; health and care professional regulators should work together to develop communications for patients and the public to raise awareness of what is being done to tackle antisemitism and other forms of racism more widely and who they contact if they have a concern; health and care professional regulators should work with patient representative groups to develop material that is clear, brief, and helpful for navigating the system; this work is urgent and must be a priority. The Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care should oversee and report back on this work within 6 months and include an assessment of progress on implementation within their annual report to Parliament
Recommendation 19
the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care should further use its powers to set guidance for all health and care professional regulators on equality, diversity and inclusion matters.
Recommendation 20
the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care should more regularly convene and issue joint communications to health and care professional regulators regarding their responsibilities.
Recommendation 21
health and care professional regulators, including the General Medical Council and the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service should work with the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care to develop a clear process for securing expert advice on relevant fitness to practise decisions.
Recommendation 22
Each regulator should report back within 6 months of the publication of this report on how they propose applying and embedding these principles.
Recommendation 23
the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care should convene fitness to practise staff across health and care professional regulators to probe their approach to cases involving racism, including antisemitism and discrimination.
Recommendation 24
the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care should formally report to the Health and Social Care Committee on its progress following this review within 6 months.
Recommendation 25
the government should carefully consider the results of the General Medical Council (GMC) reform consultation, which contains the proposals set out in this sub-chapter, to ensure GMC reform includes efficient and proportionate regulatory oversight and decision making.
Recommendation 26
the Secretary of State should consider making amendments to the Performers List Regulations to enable conditions to apply on 'suitability' grounds, not only on 'efficiency' grounds.
All text above is the review's.
No recommendations have this response.