Search the hub
Showing results for tags 'Bullying'.
Found 245 results
-
News Article
NHS urged to publish delayed report on hospital 'witch-hunt'
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The NHS is under pressure to publish a delayed review into a bullying scandal at Matt Hancock’s local hospital that involved senior clinicians being asked to provide fingerprint samples in a “witch-hunt” for a whistleblower. The “rapid review” into West Suffolk hospital, which Hancock had to recuse himself from because of his friendship with the boss at the trust, was ordered in January and had been due for completion in April. Its publication was put back to this month because of the coronavirus pandemic. But it is now not expected until spring. The Doctors’ Association UK suspects the conclusions are being sat on because they make embarrassing reading for the trust’s chief executive, Steve Dunn, described by Hanock as a “brilliant leader”. A consultant who chairs the hospital’s medical staff committee wrote to the NHS’s regional director for the east of England, Ann Radmore, last week warning that senior medics felt the hospital could not move on until the review was published. The NHS East insists the review will be published as soon as possible, but a source confirmed this is likely to be “spring next year”. -
News ArticleA review of a clinical commissioning group has discovered “microaggressions and insensitivities” towards Black, Asian and minority ethnic staff, and the use of derogatory slurs about other groups. The report into Surrey Heartlands CCG also uncovered incidents of shouting, screaming and bullying among other inappropriate behaviour. And it was reported some staff were unwilling to accept Black Lives Matter events as important, stating “all lives matter”. The review also discovered a culture of denial and turning a blind eye to consistent concerns, with staff fearful of speaking up. In particular, the HR department was said to have been repeatedly told about the behaviour of one staff member but had chosen to ignore or delay dealing with the issues. However, the review found “no evidence for widespread discriminatory practices” and “no clear evidence for a widespread culture of bullying and ill-treatment” — but it added the systems to deal with concerns had failed and there was a sense of “organisational inaction”. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 27 November 2020
-
News ArticleThe staff-side committee of a major hospital trust has stopped working with its leadership, with its chair alleging an ‘endemic’ culture of ‘racism, discrimination and bullying’. Irene Pilia, staff-side committee chair at King’s College Hospital Foundation Trust, told colleagues that the decision was taken “in the interests of staff”, especially black, Asian and minority ethnic workers, and expressed concerns about the organisation’s disciplinary procedures. She said the decision had the backing of staff committee officers and delegates. Ms Pilia, who is also the senior KCHFT Unite representative, said she was open to resuming partnership working again, but told trust executives: “I have lost trust and confidence in the ability of [KCHFT] to conduct fair, impartial and no-blame investigations. “Until there is tangible and credible evidence that racist behaviour at all levels is proactively eliminated, such that perpetrators face real consequences (including to the detriment of their careers) for their actions and are no longer allowed to behave in racist ways with impunity, I take a stand for the hundreds, possibly thousands of KCHFT staff whose voices are not being heard." Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 22 October 2020
-
News ArticleAn independent review found that commissioners’ investigation of a young boy’s death was ‘mismanaged’, and heard allegations that the person who coordinated it was bullied over the contents. The independent review, commissioned by NHS England, has published its final report following an investigation into Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire clinical commissioning group’s LeDer review into the death of Oliver McGowan. Chaired by Fiona Ritchie, the independent review was commissioned last year after evidence emerged that the CCG had rewritten earlier findings of the review, removing suggestions his death at North Bristol Trust in 2016 was avoidable. Oliver died in November 2016 after being given anti-psychotic medication against his own and his parents’ wishes and despite medical records showing he had an intolerance to anti-psychotics. He developed severe brain swelling because of the drugs and died.A local LeDer review — part of a programme aimed at improving care based on deaths among people with learning disabilities — was launched in 2017, seven months after his death, by the CCG (then operating as three separate organisations), then published in 2018. In 2018, a coroner concluded Oliver’s care prior to his death was “appropriate” and made no recommendations. His death is also currently the subject of a police investigation. The lead reviewer (Ms A) stated in her panel interview that during the time she was undertaking this LeDeR she had felt bullied, overworked and overly stressed by the demands placed on her by the various correspondences with solicitors and her line management. The fact that Ms A believed she was isolated and unsupported during this review illustrates evident failures in the CCG assurance and management processes at the time. In a final report by the subsequent independent review, published today, the panel led by Ms Ritchie “unanimously” agreed Oliver’s death was “potentially avoidable”. Read full story (paywalled) Source HSJ, 20 October 2020
-
News ArticleAn ambulance service could be put in special measures after a damning report criticised poor leadership for fostering bullying and not acting decisively on allegations of predatory sexual behaviour towards patients. East of England Ambulance Service Trust failed to protect patients and staff from sexual abuse, inappropriate behaviour and harassment, the Care Quality Commission said. It failed to support the mental health and wellbeing of staff, with high levels of bullying and harassment. Staff who raised concerns were not treated with respect and some senior leaders adopted a “combative and defensive approach” which stopped staff speaking out. “The leadership, governance and culture still did not support delivery of high-quality care,” the CQC said. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 30 September 2020
-
News ArticleNHS leaders are being encouraged to have ‘difficult discussions’ about inequalities, after a trust found its BAME staff reported being ‘systematically… bullied and harassed’, along with other signs of discrimination. A report published by Newcastle Hospitals Foundation Trust found the trust’s black, Asian and minority ethnic staff are more likely than white staff to be bullied or harassed by colleagues, less likely to reach top jobs, and experience higher rates of discrimination from managers. It claims to be the first in-depth review into pay gaps and career progression among BAME workforce at a single trust. The new report revealed that, in a trust survey carried out last year, some BAME staff described being subjected to verbal abuse and racial slurs by colleagues; had left departments after being given no chance of progression; and been “systematically… bullied and harassed”. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 22 September 2020
-
News ArticleA hospital boss championed by Matt Hancock has been told to end “a toxic management culture” after doctors were asked to provide fingerprint samples to identify a whistleblower. The Royal College of Anaesthetists (RCoA) has urged the chief executive of West Suffolk hospital, Steve Dunn, who Hancock described as an “outstanding leader”, to take urgent action to improve the wellbeing of senior clinicians and “thereby the safety of patients”. In a strongly worded letter sent to Dunn in July, seen by the Guardian, the RCoA president, Prof Ravi Mahajan, reminded him that “undermining and bullying behaviour is unacceptable”. Following a three-day review of the hospital, Prof Mahajan’s letter said senior anaesthetists had complained about a “toxic management culture that risks impairing their ability to care safely for patients”. The incident, and other failings in patient safety, contributed to the hospital becoming the first ever to be relegated by Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspectors from “outstanding” to “requires improvement” in January. A spokesman for the trust said: “Ensuring our colleagues work in a supportive, safe environment is good for our staff and means better patient care, which is why we have done extensive work this year to act on feedback about our working culture, including taking action to address the concerns raised by the Royal College of Anaesthetists.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 11 September 2020
-
News Article
Covid: Wales' NHS doctors 'bullied for raising safety fears'
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
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 -
News ArticleThe Equality and Human Rights Commission has required an ambulance trust to sign a legally-binding agreement stating how it will protect its staff from sexual harassment. This is thought to be the first time the EHRC has taken such action against an English NHS organisation and follows repeated concerns about the culture at East of England Ambulance Service Trust. As a result, EHRC will now monitor the trust’s action plan for protecting staff from sexual harassment. The Care Quality Commission asked the EHRC to consider taking enforcement action against the trust last summer, after a CQC investigation found evidence of “bullying and predatory behaviour” and warned the trust’s leaders were not adequately promoting patients’ and staff’s wellbeing. The CQC also found at least 10 incidents in 2019-20 involving allegations of sexual assault, harassment or inappropriate behaviours, and 13 instances of staff, including those working for subcontractors, being referred to the police for sexual misconduct and predatory behaviour. The trust was subsequently placed in special measures for quality. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 28 April 2021
-
News Article
Witness at NHS inquiry intimidated by ‘deeply disturbing’ messages
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A witness to an inquiry into deaths at England’s largest mental health trust has been intimidated by “cruel and calculated pressure”, with messages described by the man leading the investigation as “truly shocking”. In a statement at the start of hearings into the quality of care at Southern Health Foundation Trust, inquiry chairman Nigel Pascoe QC said one witness had received threatening telephone calls, messages and emails, which he said were “totally unacceptable, damaging and deeply disturbing”. Mr Pascoe said the inquiry had been told Beth Ford, whose job title at the trust is service user involvement facilitator, had been intimidated by members of the public. Ms Ford, who has autism, was admitted to hospital for her mental health earlier this month as a result of the abuse, but has now returned home. It’s the latest incident to hit the controversial inquiry, which has itself faced fierce criticism from the families of five patients who died between 2011 and 2015. The families have pulled out of the inquiry and accused the investigation and NHS England of bullying them and going back on promises to properly investigate the deaths of their relatives. Maureen Rickman, whose sister Jo Deering died in 2011, told The Independent she didn’t believe any of the main families were involved in intimidating witnesses. Read full story Source: The Independent, 29 March 2021 -
News Article
Southern Health: 'Cultural shift' in communication with patients
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A doctor told a panel investigating an NHS trust there has been a "cultural shift" in the way staff communicate with patients and their families. Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust is being investigated after failures in its care of five patients who died between 2011 and 2015. Dr Susie Carman said staff went through a "rough patch" when they "felt worried about doing the wrong thing". She said there was "more confidence" among staff to communicate better. The inquiry, which is due to last six weeks, is probing how the trust currently handles complaints, communicates with families of patients, and carries out investigations. It follows a report by Nigel Pascoe QC that found Southern Health, one of the biggest psychiatric trusts in England, acted with "disturbing insensitivity and a serious lack of proper communication" to family members. Dr Carman said there had since been a "genuine culture shift from the top of the organisation". She believed the trust could "still do things better" in its communication methods but said there was "more will about understanding why it (communication) is so important". The inquiry heard that a patient's "consent to share" information or not could present an "obstacle" in communicating with families and carers. Ahead of the inquiry, the bereaved families decided to withdraw from the process after they claimed to have been "misled, misrepresented and bullied" by the NHS. Read full story Source: BBC News, 10 March 2021 -
News Article
Bullying probe at Hancock’s local trust due ‘in spring’
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A long-delayed review into West Suffolk Foundation Trust board members’ alleged bullying of whistleblowers is now due to be published ‘by the spring’, senior figures familiar with the process have told HSJ. The news comes amid calls from senior medics and a campaign group for the review — originally due for publication in April 2020 — to be published as soon as possible. The review was set up to investigate the “handling and circumstances surrounding concerns raised in a letter that was sent in October 2018, to the relative of a patient who had died in the Suffolk hospital”. The letter was sent to the family of Susan Warby, 57, who died at West Suffolk Hospital in August 2018 after suffering multi-organ failure and other complications. The letter’s anonymous author raised serious concerns about her treatment by the trust. The trust launched an investigation, involving fingerprinting and handwriting experts, to find the letter’s author. The process, led by the trust’s senior management, prompted staff to report they felt harassed and bullied, and unions to label the process a “witch hunt” (See box below: Timeline of West Suffolk bullying allegations). NHS England and Improvement is overseeing the probe, which was ordered by ministers in January 2020. The coronavirus pandemic caused publication to be pushed back until December, but no official reasons have been given for the further delay. Read full story (paywalled) Source: 9 March 2021 -
News Article
GPs’ survey finds race discrimination in NHS treatment of primary care
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A survey of an area’s GPs and other primary care staff found those from a minority ethnic background feel they are less involved in decision making and less respected by their colleagues, according to results shared with HSJ. The survey, instigated by GPs in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, also found more staff from a minority ethnic background said they had experienced some form of bullying or harassment, including “instances of physical violence”. The work is thought to be unusual in primary care — annual “workforce race equality standard” surveys are required by NHS England for NHS trusts and, in the past year, clinical commissioning groups, but not in primary care. The survey in October was instigated by Doncaster Primary Care BAME Network and facilitated by Doncaster clinical commissioning group. It was sent to GPs and practice staff, community pharmacy staff, and other “healthcare professionals” in primary care. There were 136 respondents. The report of the results said minority ethnic staff felt they were less able to make decisions to improve the work of primary care, less involved in decisions regarding their area of work and less respected by their colleagues compared with their white colleagues. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 9 March 2021 -
News ArticleA children’s nurse who raised legitimate concerns over racial discrimination at a major London trust was suspended and victimised by her managers for doing so, an employment tribunal has ruled. Jeyran Panahian-Jand, who worked on a children’s ward at Whipps Cross Hospital, parts of Barts Health Trust, had raised concerns with her manager in 2019 that staff were divided on “racial lines”, with an “unfair allocation of work”, as well as bullying of two junior staff. Her manager Heather Roberts, as well as other superiors, told Ms Panahian-Jand she should raise a formal complaint, without offering to look at the issues raised and keep the complaint informal, which the tribunal said they should have done under whistleblowing policies. Ms Roberts later accused Ms Panahian-Jand, who identified as white, of continuing to talk about her allegations on the ward, and with the agreement of Ghislaine Stephenson, the associate director of nursing for children, Ms Panahian-Jand was suspended for the “disruption” and “upset” she was causing, the tribunal judgment said. Ms Panahnian-Jand then lodged a formal complaint over race discrimination, as well as accusing two other bank nurses of making “racially abusive” remarks. A subsequent internal investigation supported three allegations of race discrimination made by Ms Panahian-Jand, while a separate probe into her own alleged misconduct found there was no case to answer. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 23 February 2021
-
News Article
Bullying on NHS maternity units and poor training a risk to safety, MPs told
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Doctors and midwives working in maternity services face higher levels of bullying than any other part of the NHS, MPs have been told. According to the General Medical Council, trainee doctors in maternity services report more than twice the level of bullying seen in the rest of the NHS while the Nursing and Midwifery Council said midwives were also more likely to be bullied. MPs on the Commons health select committee heard that the culture in some maternity units was a major barrier to improving safety and tackling poor care. In an evidence session as part of an ongoing inquiry into maternity care, MPs were also warned the lack of properly funded training was forcing some midwives to pay out of their own pocket. The inquiry by the committee was launched last year after repeated maternity scandals at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals Trust and East Kent Hospitals University Trust. Giving evidence to the committee, Charlie Massey, chief executive of the General Medical Council said: “We do see in our data some quite troubling data around bullying." “If you are an obstetrics or gynaecology trainee, we see in our national training survey each year that some 14% report that they have experienced bullying – and that’s against an average for all trainees of 6%. You see more than double the rate of bullying in obstetrics and gynaecology than you do elsewhere.” Read full story Source: The Independent, 20 January 2021 -
News ArticleA nurse who was threatened by colleagues for speaking out about care failings at Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust has said bullying remains a “real problem” in the NHS. Helene Donnelly has told MPs that more than 10 years on from the scandal – commonly known as Mid Staffs – she was still seeing “echoes” of what she experienced happening across the country. “Although it is in the minority, as we saw at Mid Staffs the results can be absolutely catastrophic” She called for the development of a national body to improve workplace cultures in the NHS and “stamp out bullying once and for all”. The inquiry into poor standards of care and deaths at Mid Staffordshire indentified issues around staff behaviour, inadequate staffing levels and skills, and lack of effective leadership and support. Ms Donnelly told a Health and Social Care Committee hearing today that there were “real negative behaviours” at the trust that created a “real bullying culture of fear and intimidation”. “There was not a culture that encouraged and enabled staff to speak up and if they did as I did, we were bullied and threatened,” said Ms Donnelly, who now holds the roles of ambassador for cultural change and lead Freedom to Speak Up Guardian at the organisation where she works. Read full story (paywalled) Source: The Nursing Times
-
News Article
NHS Highland pays out millions to bullied staff
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
NHS Highland says it expects to pay £3.4m in settlements to current and former staff who have complained of bullying. Whistleblowers exposed a "culture of bullying" at NHS Highland in 2018. A Scottish government-commissioned review suggested hundreds of health workers may have experienced inappropriate behaviour. So far 150 cases have been settled since the start of a "healing process", costing the health board more than £2m. Whistleblower Brian Devlin told BBC Scotland the scale of settlements made so far was "heartening", but he added that he continued to have concerns about bullying at the health board. A group of Highlands GPs first complained of a culture of bullying at NHS Highland in September 2018. Staff said they had not felt valued, respected or supported in carrying out "very stressful work". Others told of not being listened to when raising matters regarding patient safety concerns and decisions being made "behind closed doors". The review also said that "many described a culture of fear and of protecting the organisation when issues are raised". Read full story Source: BBC News, 28 September 2021 -
News Article
Staff frightened to speak about NHS trust bullying
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A culture of bullying and racial discrimination has been found at a hospital trust, according to an inspection report. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) said there was a bullying culture across Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) Trust, with many staff too frightened to speak up. The trust has been told it requires improvement as a result of the report. NUH said it was working to address the concerns. The report said a number of the bullying cases were directly attributable to racial discrimination. It said the trust's latest staff survey showed the organisation was above average for black, Asian and minority ethnic staff experiencing bullying. Sarah Dunnett, the CQC's head of hospital inspection, said they were told of bullying incidents that had not been addressed. "We were concerned about the culture of bullying across the trust with many staff being too frightened to speak up," she said. She said the CQC would "monitor the service closely" to ensure changes were made. Read full story Source: BBC News, 15 September 2021 -
News ArticleNHS leaders are being urged to tackle racist abuse of staff as new figures reveal that a third of black, Asian or minority ethnic workers in mental health trusts in England have experienced harassment, bullying or attacks by patients, relatives or members of the public. One in three (32.7%) BAME staff in mental health settings have experienced abuse, according to analysis by the Royal College of Psychiatrists. For BAME workers across the NHS, the rate is more than one in four (28.9%). One medical director told the Guardian that hot tea had been thrown at them “because of the colour of my skin”. A psychiatrist told how they were left traumatised after they were racially abused – then threatened with a knife. The college is calling on health leaders to take a stand against discrimination by setting up better processes in NHS trusts to record and understand data about bullying and harassment. Dr Adrian James, president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said the findings were deeply concerning. He said: “NHS leaders and local health bosses must tackle this head-on.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 9 September 2021
-
News Article
Scandal-hit trust sees surge of staff voicing concerns
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A trust facing serious questions about its working culture has had a dramatic rise in the number of concerns raised about issues such as harassment and bullying. In the first quarter of 2021-22, staff raised 84 incidents to East of England Ambulance Service Trust’s Freedom to Speak Up guardian, compared with only eight in the first quarter of 2020-21. Half of the cases raised to the guardian this year involved issues of harassment, bullying or concerns about behaviours or relationships, according to a report to the trust board. However, the biggest single area of concern — with 35 cases — was “the inconsistent applications of processes in policies” and only one out of 84 cases involved patient safety or quality. The report said: “Staff across the organisation are exhausted and express concern at continuing under this pressure… staff continue to report that the slow pace of change leaves them with little confidence of lasting change.” Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 8 September 2021 -
News Article
GPs facing torrent of abuse and violence as patient frustration boils over
Patient-Safety-Learning posted a news article in News
According to reports, GPs and healthcare staff are receiving a torrent of abuse and threats of violence from patients, with some surgeries being sent hate mail, bomb threats and graffiti. This rise in abusive behaviour comes as GP's become overwhelmed with demand, often working many hours overtime with delays being able to get to appointments due to staff shortages. Professor Martin Marshall, chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners, said: “It’s entirely unacceptable for anyone working in general practice to be at the receiving end of abuse of any kind, let alone the threat of physical violence. General practice has been open throughout the pandemic, and face-to-face appointments have been offered wherever safe and appropriate. Read full story. Source: The Independent, 23 August 2021 -
News Article
Fifty senior doctors ask CEO for protection against bullying
Patient-Safety-Learning posted a news article in News
Fifty senior consultants from a minority ethnic background at University Hospitals North Midlands have written to Tracy Bullock and trust chair David Wakefield asking for action to ‘protect’ staff from bullying behaviours following an internal survey in which 348 medics claimed to have experienced bullying and harassment. In a subsequent letter on 5 August, seen by HSJ, 50 doctors have now said: “We are forced to express our concerns over the prevailing poor culture within our organisation with most senior medical staff presently reporting they have suffered or witnessed first-hand discrimination, bullying, harassment, or victimisation. We… ask for urgent action by the executive and non-executive boards to immediately implement measures to protect senior medical staff from unacceptable ill-treatment.” A separate external review is now understood to have been commissioned amid concerns over bullying within ophthalmology services. Read full story (paywalled). Source: HSJ, 19 August 2021 -
News Article
Senior trust medics complain of ‘excessively authoritarian’ management
Patient-Safety-Learning posted a news article in News
Senior doctors in the radiology services at the University Hospitals North Midlands Trust have reported a ‘toxic’ culture and feelings that managers had been ‘excessively authoritarian’. In a letter sent by medical director John Oxtoby on 13 July, consultants who had been interviewed as part of an external review, have reported the culture within the department was “unhealthy and even toxic, and that this was impacting to some degree nearly all of the consultants interviewed” “It is clear from this work that as well as the need to tackle working relationships and some behaviours in the department, there is a huge amount of collective pride in the services delivered by the department.” Said Mr Oxtoby. Read full story (paywalled). Source: HSJ, 3 August 2021 -
News Article
Hospital staff complain to regulator about bullying, harassment and racism
Patient-Safety-Learning posted a news article in News
Hospital staff at the Royal London Hospital have complained about bullying, harassment, racism and sexism during an inspection by the care watchdog. After conducting a review of the imagining department at the Royal London Hospital and Whipps Cross Hospital, there are now concerns over the culture of the service and conflict between staff. With both hospitals being overseen by Barts Health NHS Trust, chief executive Dame Alwen Williams has said “We will be ensuring staff have the resources to sustain improvements we need to make and there is appropriate oversight and processes in place for escalating wellbeing issues. We have a responsibility to listen to what our hard working team are saying, and respond appropriately and sensitively." Read full story. Source: The Independent, 30 July 2021 -
News Article
'We feel bullied' say emergency department staff
Patient-Safety-Learning posted a news article in News
In November last year, Unison and RCN raised concerns with NHS Forth Valley chief executive Cathie Cowan amid bullying claims made by emergency department staff at Forth Valley Royal Hospital. In light of the reports of bullying, a review was commissioned and leaked details revealed junior doctors were left unsupervised on shifts, nurses and doctors had said they are 'battle-weary', and many senior staff members have resigned their posts. Karren Morrison, Unison Forth Valley health branch secretary has said: ‘Last year, concerns were being raised by our members who worked in, or who had previously worked in the ED. Staff talked to us about feeling bullied and intimidated, being frightened to speak up, concerns about the delivery of safe patient care, high staff turnover and other issues.’ Read full story (paywalled). Source: Nursing Standard, 12 July 2021
