The NHS is having its Me Too moment – and its boss is right to take action

Editorial: For an organisation devoted to caring for people – and one that has had more than its fair share of scandals – the evidence of widespread sexual harassment within the NHS is nothing short of appalling. But chief executive Amanda Pritchard is to be applauded for her determination to stamp it out

An NHS-wide survey reveals that 58,000 staff reported unwarranted sexual approaches from patients or other members of the public last year (Getty)

Most organisations, public or private, large or small, suffer from an institutional tendency to defensiveness in the face of criticism, wrongdoing and crisis.

When things go awry, the instinct is to gather the wagons round and indulge in a cycle of denial, obfuscation and deflection. Examples are plentiful; among those to have made headlines recently in relation to such behaviour are the Post Office, the British royal family, the Red Bull racing team, Thames Water, and various members of the parliamentary Conservative Party.

So it is beyond refreshing that the chief executive of the National Health Service, along with her colleagues, has taken it upon herself to launch a Me Too-style investigation into sexual harassment across that vast organisation. Rather than ignoring stories about abuse of position, or denying the existence of sexual harassment among the near 2 million staff and associated workers employed by the health service, Amanda Pritchard has pre-emptively asked her people directly about their experiences.