Steve Barclay has vowed to crack down on sexual misconduct in the NHS after the Mail revealed dozens of rapes and sex assaults are carried out in hospitals each week.

The Health Secretary convened an urgent meeting with health leaders to demand they do more to protect patients and staff from sexual predators.

They discussed on Friday how to stamp out sexual misconduct, harassment, abuse and violence.

The Mail told last week how at least 2,088 rapes and 4,451 sexual assaults were reported in hospitals between January 2019 and October 2022 – a rate of 33 a week.

A shocking one in seven took place on hospital wards but just 4.1 per cent of the crimes led to the suspect facing a charge or summons.

The figures were based on freedom of information requests to police by the Women’s Rights Network.

Founder Heather Binning described the numbers as ‘just the tip of the iceberg’. She added: ‘The figures show hospitals are just not safe places. It’s terrifying.’

Mr Barclay has asked the NHS to explore improving the quality of the data on sexual incidents and work with the police to ensure proper action is taken. 

Artificial intelligence could potentially be used to better identify trends.

He expects employers to be ‘proactive’ and improve the culture in NHS settings.

Last night Ms Binning welcomed his action but added: ‘This is not simply an NHS problem. Many attacks are likely to have taken place in private hospitals but because of the chaotic way police forces are recording this data, we simply do not know.

‘We urge the minister to ensure that the Care Quality Commission, which oversees both public and private hospitals, takes steps to tackle this failure in safeguarding. 

'Our members have been canvassing in town centres around the UK over the weekend, and this issue came up again and again.

‘So many women shared their own personal stories of assaults in hospitals and also doctor’s surgeries.’

Kate Davies, NHS director of sexual assault services commissioning, said: ‘Local services must not tolerate sexual misconduct, violence, harassment or abuse – it is totally unacceptable.

‘All NHS trusts and organisations must ensure immediate action is taken in any cases reported to them.

‘Anyone who has experienced misconduct or violence should come forward and seek help. There is support and care for anyone who needs it.’

The WRN sent requests for information to 43 police forces. Eight, including those in Scotland and Northern Ireland, could not provide the data.

The crimes reported include the rape of a girl under 13 and the rape of a woman by ‘multiple offenders’ in hospitals in the West Midlands.

Three young girls and a boy reported being raped in Cambridgeshire while six girls were said to have been attacked in hospitals in Lancashire.