More than a third of sexual misconduct allegations against doctors involve colleagues

More than a third of sexual misconduct allegation types brought before medical practitioners tribunals last year involved healthcare colleagues, according to new figures highlighting concerns about sexual behaviour within the medical workplace.

Data published by the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) shows that 37.5% of sexual misconduct allegation types considered by tribunals in 2025 involved a healthcare colleague. Allegations involving patients accounted for a further 35.4%, meaning colleagues were the most common group involved in sexual misconduct cases reaching a substantive tribunal.

The MPTS recorded 48 sexual misconduct allegation types during 2025. Of those, 18 involved a healthcare colleague, 17 involved a patient, 11 involved other people or conduct including online offences, and two involved a relative or somebody known to the doctor. Some doctors may have faced allegations involving more than one person or falling into multiple categories.

The figures form part of a wider analysis of cases considered by medical practitioners tribunals. A total of 270 allegation types were recorded across 160 tribunal hearings during 2025, with individual hearings sometimes considering more than one type of allegation. Dishonesty was the most frequently recorded category, accounting for 27.4%, while sexual misconduct was the second most common at 17.8%.

Judge Fiona Monk, chair of the MPTS, described the findings as deeply concerning and said healthcare professionals should be able to carry out their work without fear of becoming targets of sexual misconduct. She said the publication of more detailed tribunal data was intended to improve understanding of the types of allegations being considered and support efforts to prevent unacceptable behaviour within healthcare.

The findings have prompted the Royal College of Surgeons of England to renew calls for a national anonymous reporting mechanism for sexual misconduct within healthcare. RCS England President Tim Lane said the data showed the need for safe and trusted ways for staff to report concerns, alongside consistent processes for dealing with allegations across healthcare organisations.

Concerns about sexual misconduct within medicine extend beyond cases that ultimately reach a tribunal. Research previously highlighted by the General Medical Council found that 31% of female doctors and 23% of male doctors had experienced unwanted physical conduct in their workplace. The same research found that 42% of doctors who had witnessed or experienced an issue relating to sexism felt unable to report it.

Separate figures reported by The BMJ earlier this year also suggested an increase in sexual misconduct concerns involving healthcare professionals. NHS Resolution received requests for advice relating to 246 sexual misconduct cases involving clinicians during 2024-25, compared with an average of around 140 cases a year during the previous nine years. The figures covered doctors, dentists and pharmacists, although doctors have historically accounted for the vast majority of cases handled through the service.

Those figures do not necessarily demonstrate that sexual misconduct itself is becoming more common. An increase could also reflect greater awareness, improved recognition of unacceptable behaviour or an increased willingness among healthcare workers to report experiences that may previously have gone unchallenged.

The GMC has strengthened its guidance around sexual misconduct in recent years, making clear that unacceptable sexual behaviour towards patients, colleagues and students can raise questions about a doctor’s fitness to practise. It also recognises that power imbalances within healthcare can create particular risks, including situations where training, career progression or professional opportunities could be affected.

The latest MPTS figures provide only a picture of allegations serious enough to reach a substantive medical practitioners tribunal and should not be interpreted as representing the overall prevalence of sexual misconduct within medicine. However, the fact that healthcare colleagues now represent the largest category involved in sexual misconduct allegation types reaching tribunals adds to wider concerns about whether staff feel sufficiently protected and supported when inappropriate behaviour occurs within their own workplaces.

For medical organisations, the challenge extends beyond investigating individual allegations once they arise. Creating environments where inappropriate behaviour is challenged early, staff feel able to raise concerns without fearing damage to their careers, and reports are handled consistently will be central to addressing a problem that increasing amounts of data suggest cannot be dismissed as a small number of isolated incidents.

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