Nurse reveals sexual harassment and whistleblowing ‘nightmare’

A nurse has warned that she has been “crushed and silenced” over a battle with the NHS and the nursing regulator to investigate claims that she was sexually harassed by a colleague at work.

Michelle Russell told Nursing Times of the “eight-year nightmare” she has endured since coming forward about her experiences and that she said had recently led her nursing career to come to an end.

“Knowing what’s happened to me is not going to make it easier for anybody else to speak out"

She has argued that “speaking up is not encouraged” in the NHS and that her case would discourage other nurses from coming forward about sexual harassment.

Ms Russell said: “Anybody who has been around me would be able to see the emotional impact of all of this on me.

“I’ve lost my job for highlighting a public safety concern.”

The national guardian for the NHS told Nursing Times sexual harassment was a “patient safety issue” and warned that staff continued to face difficulties when speaking out.

It comes as the latest NHS Staff Survey this month revealed that almost 4% of nurses and midwives had been the target of unwanted sexual behaviour in the workplace by another member of staff in the last 12 months.

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Source: Nursing Times, 15 March 2024