Recognising and responding to racism in the workplace

Outlining RACS’ position on racism is a response to feedback that came to our attention through our independent evaluation of the Building Respect Improving Patient Safety Initiative. 

We have also listened to calls for RACS  to better support our Fellows, Trainees and SIMGs to recognise, respond to and address racism in the practice of surgery and in healthcare more broadly.  Doing so will positively impact our surgical community, our health care colleagues,  and our patients and their families.

Click here to access the RACS Guidance on Recognising and Responding to Racism 

More resources

Much information has been published regarding racism and its impacts, in addition to approaches to address racism. Here are some links to the work of expert bodies in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand,  if you are interested to learn more:

Aotearoa New Zealand, Ministry of health/ Manatou Haoura. Evolution of Racism and Anti- Racism- Lessons for the Aotearoa New Zealand Health System ( Stage one Literature Review), 2022

Aotearoa New Zealand, Ministry of Justice/ Te Tāhū o te Ture.  National Action Plan Against Racism

Australian Human Rights Commission https://itstopswithme.humanrights.gov.au/resourcehub

Centre for inclusive and resilient societies: Defining and identifying hate motives: bias indicators for the Australian context — Centre for Resilient and Inclusive Societies (crisconsortium.org)

Diversity Council of Australia, 2022. Racism at Work: How Organisations Can Stand Up to and End Workplace Racism (dca.org.au).