HEALTH leaders have cautioned that St George’s flags put up by far-right activists are creating “no-go zones” for NHS staff. 

A poll of senior managers found that 78 per cent were either extremely or moderately concerned about discrimination towards NHS staff from patients and the public.

The NHS Providers survey also revealed significant in-house concerns, with more than half (52 per cent) worried about discrimination towards staff from colleagues.

One trust leader, speaking to journalists anonymously, told of how a member of staff, who is white and has mixed-race children, had asked people putting up flags to move so she could park her car.

“The individuals filmed what was happening, and then followed her, and she continued to receive abuse over a series of several days, not because she objected to the flags, but because she disturbed them,” they said.

The leader said there were “lots of stories like that” and that the “springing up of flags everywhere has created another form of intimidation and concern for many, many of our staff.”

St George’s flags have been hoisted around the country following a far-right campaign called Operation Raise the Colours.

Weyman Bennett, co-convener of Stand Up to Racism, said: “We have to be clear that the flag-raising is all about division. 

“They aren’t being raised as part of some patriotic outpouring. 

“They are being used by the far right in order to sow division and intimidate all those who do not fit in with their version of ‘Britishness’.”

Another trust leader spoke about issues around staff engaging in community-based work involving going into people’s homes.

“We saw during the time when the flags went up — our staff, who are a large minority of black and Asian staff, feeling deliberately intimidated,” he said.

“It felt like the flags were up creating no-go zones. That’s what it felt like to them.”

He added that his trust had seen “individual instances of aggression towards staff.”

Royal College of Nursing general secretary Nicola Ranger said: “A sustained campaign of anti-migrant rhetoric is fuelling a growing cesspool of racism, including against international and ethnic minority nursing staff, without whom our health and care system would simply cease to function. 

“Following a summer of further racist disorder, it is little wonder a growing number of nursing staff report feeling unsafe, particularly when having to work on their own and often at night.”

She urged the government to “stop pandering to dangerous anti-migrant sentiments” and for employers to work with unions to develop stronger mechanisms to protect staff.

Last month, the Royal College of Nursing reported that complaints about workplace racism to its advice line had surged by 55 per cent in three years. 

Zita Holbourne, co-founder of Black Activists Rising Against Cuts, said: “This is reminiscent of the 1950s and ’60s when Windrush generation nurses faced horrific racist abuse and patients demanding to be cared for by white nurses.

“That the St George’s flag has been hijacked as a symbol of fascism and racism is bizarre. 

“Saint George was from the Middle East, served in the Roman army, spoke Greek and had an ethnically mixed heritage. 

“Black and brown nurses should not have to go into unsafe environments where they are not welcomed and respected or under threat. 

“Proper risk assessments need to be carried out to ensure safety and they should not be forced to go to any environment where their safety is at risk or where they might be subjected to abuse and certainly should not be subjected to lone working when travelling into hostile areas.”

Unison’s head of health Helga Pile said: “Health and social care services can’t operate without a diverse workforce. Yet growing toxic and racist rhetoric on immigration is leaving many staff fearful.

“Employers and ministers must redouble their efforts so all NHS staff feel safe, particularly those from overseas who choose to work here.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “There is no place for intimidation, racism or abuse in our country or our NHS. Instances of threats and aggression towards staff or their families should be reported to the police.

“We value the diversity of our NHS, which relies on the skill and dedication of hardworking staff from all backgrounds. They must be treated with dignity and respect.

“Our flags represent our history, our heritage and our values. They are a symbol of our nation and belong to all of us — not just some of us.”