Analysis

Labour to scrap time limit on investigating sexual misconduct by doctors

I first reported on abuse in the NHS in 2022. Labour has made the right call on the unfair ‘five-year rule’

By Sian Norris

Labour to scrap time limit on investigating sexual misconduct by doctors — Labour is to scrap five-year rule on investigations into historic allegations of sexual misconduct in healthcare | View Pictures/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Published: April 09, 2026, 9:38 am

Rose* was in her forties when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in the late 1990s. A period that was already anxiety-ridden and scary was made even worse when, she alleges, her consultant flirted with and sexually abused her.

“On the one hand, he was saving lives,” Rose told me when we first spoke in 2022. “On the other hand, he was ruining lives.”

Rose and I met when my then-colleague Sascha Lavin and I were investigating sexual abuse in healthcare. We found that patients had sexually harassed and assaulted thousands of healthcare staff, that more than 4,100 complaints of sexual abuse made to the police took place in NHS settings, and that the NHS had spent millions on compensation for victims and survivors of sexual harassment, assault and even rape.

If you or someone you know is affected by the issues raised in this article, the following organisations can help:

Rape Crisis England & Wales

Confidential support and information to women who have survived any form of sexual violence, no matter how long ago. Also provides immediate support to friends and family on how to support female survivors of sexual violence.

Phone: 0808 802 9999 (12–2:30pm & 7–9:30pm daily). Website: Rape Crisis

Rape Crisis Scotland

Confidential support for anyone affected by sexual violence, no matter when or how it happened. They can also put you in touch with local rape crisis centres.

Phone: 0808 801 03 02. Website: Rape Crisis Scotland

Domestic and Sexual Abuse Helpline – Northern Ireland

Free support, advice and referral for any victim or domestic and sexual abuse in Northern Ireland.

Phone: 0808 802 1414 (24/7). Website: Domestic and Sexual Abuse Helpline

NHS Sexual Assault Referral Centres

England & Wales: Visit the NHS website

Scotland: Visit the NHS inform website

The Survivors Trust

Support and signposting for women, men and children who are survivors of rape, sexual violence or childhood sexual abuse.

Phone: 0808 801 0818. Website: The Survivors Trust

Survivors UK

Support for men and non-binary survivors of sexual abuse via an online helpline, counselling, Independent Sexual Violence Advisers, plus group and peer support services.

Website: Survivors UK

Samaritans

For anyone struggling to cope and provide a safe place to talk 24 hours a day.

Phone: 116 123. Email: jo@samaritans.org. Website: Samaritans

Victim Support

Emotional and practical help to victims or witnesses of any crime, whether or not it has been reported to the police.

Phone: 0808 16 89 111 (24/7). Website: Victim Support

Victim Support Scotland

Emotional and practical support to all victims and witnesses of crime across Scotland.

Phone: 0800 160 1985 (Mon-Fri 8am-8pm). Website: Victim Support Scotland

Victim Support NI

Emotional and practical support to all victims and witnesses of crime across Northern Ireland.

Phone: 028 9024 3133. Website: Victim Support NI

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