Racism and personal safety: black community practitioners

The potential risks for and implications of black community practitioners working in racist areas is the subject of this article. It provides an overview of the risk of racial harassment and discusses the legal and ethical implications for NHS employees. This article has been written as a result of the author being confronted with the possibility of being sent to work in an area known to be racist. The British National Party's (BNP) recent gains in local elections demonstrate that such areas exist in the UK's towns and cities (BBC News 2003).

The author argues that employers should do all in their power to benefit their employees and this means protecting them from working in racist areas or with racist clients who pose a potential risk.