The Health Secretary is looking to overhaul the way medical regulators investigate cases of antisemitism after saying the current system is failing to protect Jewish people.
Wes Streeting said: “We must be unequivocal that antisemitism has absolutely no place in our NHS, or anywhere in our society.”
The General Medical Council (GMC) and Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) currently assess the conduct of doctors and decide whether sanctions – such as being struck off the medical register – are necessary.
But campaigners say antisemitism has been able to “fester unchecked” in the NHS and medical profession since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, which happened two years ago.
Mr Streeting said: “Two years on from the horrific events of October 7 and just days after a despicable attack on our nation’s Jewish community, we must be unequivocal that antisemitism has absolutely no place in our NHS, or anywhere in our society.
“The NHS is a universal health service, which means that everyone, regardless of race, religion, or creed, should feel safe seeking its care.
“I deplore the fact that this is frankly not the current reality for many Jewish patients and staff, and I am determined to change this for once and for all.
“It should go without saying that doctors making racist comments about Jewish people is abhorrent and demands action. Yet all too often, appropriate action by regulators has been sorely lacking.
“It is clear that the current medical regulatory system is completely failing to protect Jewish patients and NHS staff.
“I am looking urgently at how we can overhaul the current regime, which has been found completely wanting.”
In one case, Dr Rahmeh Aladwan, a trainee trauma and orthopaedic surgeon, was investigated over social media posts, including a claim that the “Royal Free Hospital in London is a Jewish supremacy cesspit”.
The MPTS ruled last month that no suspension was necessary.
In February, Dr Kamran Ahmed, a Wolverhampton GP, was given a formal warning.
According to the GMC, between November 2023 and March 2024, Dr Ahmed posted and reposted material on X “that was objectively antisemitic and seriously offensive.”
GMC warnings are issued “when a registrant’s behaviour or performance is significantly below the standards expected, but when restricting a registrant’s practice is not necessary”.
Last month, Manoj Sen, an NHS surgeon, was struck off the medical register for making a string of antisemitic social media comments, including referring to a Jewish man as “circumcised vermin”.
The MPTS said that, in 2023, Mr Sen engaged in an exchange on Facebook in response to a post, including using racial slurs, with one comment translated as “the Jews are our misfortune”.
Another comment to a Jewish man said that “when dealing with circumcised vermin like you, not even the strongest measures will help”.
The MPTS ruled the comments were antisemitic, seriously offensive and motivated by hostility towards and/or prejudice against Jews.
The Jewish News reported in July that 454 complaints of antisemitism have been submitted to the General Medical Council (GMC) since October 7 2023.
Some 84% were closed at the triage stage, though it said this is in line with the percentage of general complaints against doctors closed at an early stage of proceedings.
A GMC spokesperson said: “Antisemitism has no place in healthcare.
“We make clear what we expect from doctors through our guidance to them and our fitness to practise processes reinforce these expectations.
“We do this so patients’ trust in the professions we regulate is maintained, and they receive good, safe care.”
