Covid: Wales' NHS doctors 'bullied for raising safety fears'

Doctors in Wales have faced bullying and disciplinary action for raising concerns over working conditions and safety, a union leader has said.

Dr Phil Banfield, of BMA Wales, said doctors who complained about work, both before and during the Covid pandemic, were seen as "troublemakers".

He said there are worries bullying among staff will get worse as longer post-Covid waiting lists are tackled.

The Welsh government said bullying of NHS staff was "entirely unacceptable".

Dr Banfield, who is chairman of the BMA Welsh consultants' committee, said staff have faced the prospect of being victimised by colleagues, or even being forced to leave the Welsh NHS, for raising concerns over bullying or health and safety.

He said: "Staff are quite good at raising concerns, but they don't raise concerns if they're going get in trouble for it, or they sense nothing is going to happen. What happens is you think 'I can't be bothered'.

"Decent people develop a kind of learned helplessness and it means that people who keep raising concerns stand out."

Read full story

Source: BBC News, 15 May 2021