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Showing results for tags 'Culture of fear'.
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News Article
Coronavirus: NHS nurses told 'lives would be made hell'
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Hospital nurses were told their "lives would be made hell" if they complained over conditions on a coronavirus ward, a union has claimed. Unison has raised a group grievance for 36 employees, most of them nurses, at Nottingham University Hospitals Trust. It said staff on the Queen's Medical Centre ward were not trained properly, faced bullying for raising concerns and denied PPE "as punishment". The trust said the allegations were "very troubling". The union said the staff, which included nurses, senior nurses and healthcare assistants, volunteered to work on the hospital's only ward dealing with end-of-life coronavirus patients. It claimed they were not given any specialist training or counselling for dealing with dying patients and their grieving relatives. An anonymous member of staff described it as "incredibly stressful". Another worker said a board with everyone's record of sickness was put on display in a break room to intimidate staff. Dave Ratchford from Unison said: "This is absolutely shocking stuff. We're talking about a very high-performing team who fell foul of a culture that permits bullying and fails to address it" "Staff were told their lives would be made hell for complaining." Read full story Source: BBC News, 21 July 2020- Posted
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- Virus
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Content Article
What is civility?
Claire Cox posted an article in Stories from the front line
In this short video, Dr Michael Kaufmann discusses five fundamentals of civility and how to be civil in a healthcare workplace. Dr Michael Kaufmann is a Consultant in physician health and addiction medicine and Medical Director of the Physician Workplace Support Program (PWSP).- Posted
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Content ArticleThe contents of this book are based on the experiences of: NHS patients who have experienced avoidable harm, and associated cover-ups. NHS staff who have suffered detriment for speaking out on behalf of the above. The author's own experience as an employee of St George's hospital, Tooting, and doing locum work at hospitals in London and the Home Counties. Written from the perspective of an NHS Operating Department Practitioner, and whistleblower, NHS Dirty Secrets describes how the NHS cover-up culture is a risk to patient safety, and how employment and promotion practices are skewed in favour of those most likely to support the NHS cover-up culture. The NHS cover-up culture, itself, is decomposed and analysed, with examples given as to the methods used to support the hiding of issues, such as patient deaths, from public scrutiny.
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- Whistleblowing
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Content ArticleIn this article, published by the BMJ, Professor Russell Mannion and Professor Huw Davies explore how notions of culture relate to service performance, quality, safety and improvement.
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Content Article
Further serious patient safety incidents: why are staff still not being listened to when concerns are raised?
Anonymous posted an article in Whistle blowing
Due to COVID-19 and the safety issues the pandemic is highlighting, I have decided to write a sequel to my previous blog 'Dropped instrument, washed and immediately reused'. I am writing this because it recently came to my notice from colleagues that safety is once again being compromised in the same private hospital where my shifts were blocked after I reported a patient safety incident.- Posted
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- PPE (personal Protective Equipment)
- High risk groups
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Content Article
The right – and duty – of NHS staff to speak up
Hugh Wilkins posted an article in Whistle blowing
A blog from hub topic lead Hugh Wilkins on the recent messages from NHS England and NHS Improvement leaders reminding everyone, including those at board level, of the duty and right of staff to speak up about anything which gets in the way of patient care and their own wellbeing. Hugh highlights the real risk of reprisals against some staff who have raised concerns in the public interest, and points out that much needs to change before NHS staff can be sure that it is safe for them to speak up.- Posted
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Content Article
We all want a culture of speaking up, don’t we? So, why isn’t it happening?
Anonymous posted an article in Bullying and fear
Effective speaking up arrangements protect patients and improve the experience of NHS workers. The guidance set out by Sir Robert Francis in his Freedom to Speak Up review, was to develop a more open and supportive culture that encourages staff to speak up about any issues of patient care, quality or safety. In this blog I want to explore why this hasn’t been happening in Trusts up and down the country, despite everyone wanting a safe culture to speak up, no more so than myself, a clinician who has a keen interest in patient and staff safety. Sir Robert Francis laid out six principles for Trusts to follow in his review of speaking up in NHS Trusts in 2015. I would like to reflect on the times when I have spoken up about patient safety issues and the responses I have had when I have raised them. I will use Francis’ six principles to frame the blog.- Posted
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- Quality improvement
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News Article
Doctors warn ‘culture of fear’ in NHS could prevent whistleblowing
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Doctors have warned that a “culture of fear” in the NHS may prevent life-saving lessons being learned about COVID-19 after a leading hospital consultant emailed scores of staff saying those responsible for “leaks” would be found and fired. Dr Daniel Martin OBE, head of intensive care for serious infectious diseases at the Royal Free hospital, emailed a report to colleagues at the peak of the pandemic with a note claiming that the trust would “track any leaks to the media” and then “offer you the chance to post your P45 on Facebook for all to see.” The email, which described journalists at one respected newspaper as “parasites”, was sent to dozens of nurses and junior doctors. It has been examined by Liberty Investigates, the investigative journalism unit of the civil rights group Liberty, and the Guardian, after being shared by a recipient who said they found the language “intimidating”. Whistleblowers UK, the non-profit group, said it had been made aware of the email by a separate individual who was also concerned about its contents. The Royal Free London trust said the email was “badly worded” and did not reflect trust policy. However, the trust said it was an open and transparent organisation that “does everything it can to encourage our staff to raise concerns and, if necessary, whistleblow”. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 22 June 2020- Posted
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- Pandemic
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Content ArticleAviation underwent a major culture change after the shock of the 1977 Tenerife disaster, which has gradually matured into the successful safety management systems we have today. Has the Hyponatraemia Report in Northern Ireland or the Bawa-Garba case in the UK the potential to be healthcare's turning point and transform our approach to error? What can we learn from aviation to shortcut the learning process? The author of this article is both a doctor and pilot with extensive experience in both industries. Published in Northern Ireland Healthcare Review in 2018.
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Content ArticleThis is the letter from Monitor (now part of NHS Improvement) to all foundation trust chief executives about Sir Robert Francis’ Freedom to Speak Up review.
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Content Article
First shift on the COVID-19 ward
Claire Cox posted an article in Blogs
A trainee ophthalmologist shares his experience with BMJ Opinion of being redeployed to the frontline of COVID-19 preparation and hopes that it will allay fears.- Posted
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News Article
NHS to pay £870,000 to whistleblower doctor who spoke out on patient safety
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A London NHS trust has been ordered to pay a leading heart doctor more than £870,000 after he was sacked for whistleblowing about safety concerns following a patient’s death. Dr Kevin Beatt, one of the UK’s most respected consultant cardiologists, was fired from Croydon Health Services in 2012 after reporting staff shortages, inadequate equipment and workplace bullying at the trust. The tribunal heard Dr Beatt’s dismissal “had a devastating effect on his career and his wellbeing”. He told the Evening Standard: “I was forced into a position where I lost my career for trying to highlight dangerous practices in the NHS. It has taken seven years to get to this point, which is just appalling. It has been a huge ordeal and I have the greatest sympathy for any whistleblower who has to go through something like this.” Read full story Source: Evening Standard, 11 March 2020- Posted
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Content ArticleMedical errors are the third leading cause of death in the United States. Putting patients first — listening to their own and their families’ concerns — can help eliminate medical errors altogether. A patient-centric approach encourages patients to communicate their ‘gut feelings’ when something seems wrong, thereby working to end the pervasive and dangerous culture of silence and fear in hospitals.
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News Article
Call for bosses to quit at hospital that tried to conceal blunders
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Executives in charge of the health secretary’s crisis-hit local hospital are facing calls to step down after The Sunday Times raised serious questions about attempts to cover up catastrophic medical mistakes. West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds had placed Dr Patricia Mills, one of its most senior consultants, under disciplinary investigation after she had voiced concerns about blunders that had killed one patient and left another seriously brain-damaged. A number of doctors have claimed that a bullying management culture has led to staff being too afraid to speak up about patient safety concerns at the hospital. Executives were accused of being obsessed with maintaining the hospital’s “outstanding” status in annual Care Quality Commission. One of the governors said their were "frustrations and concerns" among his fellow council members that they were being kept in the dark by the hospital's executives. Read full story (paywalled) Source: The Sunday Times, 8 March 2020- Posted
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Content ArticleThis pay-walled article, published in The Sunday Times, highlights patient safety concerns identified in relation to West Suffolk hospital, with specific reference to two incidences of avoidable patient harm. In the case of Daniel Parsons, a drugs error caused an adverse affect on the functioning of Daniel's heart and led to his death. The coroner for the inquest concluded that Daniel's death could have been avoided if doctors had heeded the early warning signs of anaphylaxis. The second incident highlighted by the authors is that of Paul Farmer, who was left blind and with severe brain damage following avoidable harm. Concerns raised within the article include: Prioritisation of reputation management (an 'outstanding' status) over patient safety Reluctance to investigate Unfair reprisal for staff raising patient safety concerns Lack of response from Health Secretary Matt Hancock. Further reading: Bullying executives left West Suffolk Hospital staff ‘sobbing, shaking, rocking in despair’ (March 2020)
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- Culture of fear
- Organisational culture
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Content ArticleThis pay-walled article, published in The Sunday Times, highlights serious concerns raised by staff at West Suffolk Hospital around: unfair reprisal and treatment of staff who raise valid patient safety concerns a prioritisation of reputation over patient safety bullying behaviour from executives and management. Further reading: I thought Daniel was safe with the NHS, he wasn't (March 2020)
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Content Article
The lifecycle of the whistleblower (8 February 2020)
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in Whistle blowing
Roger Kline, Consultant on Workforce Culture, describes the “lifecycle” of a whisltleblower and the stages and steps they will go through. It's one many whistleblowers will recognise in part or in full.- Posted
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- Whistleblowing
- Speaking up
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Content ArticleThe latest NHS national staff survey is out. It shows, yet again, that an extraordinary proportion of NHS staff report being bullied or harassed at work by managers and colleagues last year (2019). Roger Kline, Research Fellow in Middlesex University London Business School, discusses the shocking level of bullying in the NHS and the impact this has on staff.
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News Article
Harrowing stories of burned out NHS doctors bullied and broken
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Dedicated to caring for the sick and vulnerable, junior doctors should expect to be supported and valued as they carry out their vital work. However, hundreds have revealed they are subjected to bullying and harassment at overstretched hospitals that have been plunged into a staffing crisis by a decade of savage health cuts. A Mirror investigation uncovered harrowing stories of young medics being denied drinking water during gruelling shifts, working for 15 hours on their feet non-stop and of uncaring managers tearing into them for breaking down in tears over the deaths of patients. One was even accused of “stealing” surgical scrubs she took to wear after suffering a miscarriage at work. The distraught woman finished her shift wearing blood-soaked trousers, instead of going home to rest. Doctors are now quitting in their droves, leaving those left struggling to cope with a growing workload. The Mirror investigation reveals the reality of working for an NHS which has been subject to a record funding squeeze and is 8,000 medics short. Health chiefs vowed to investigate the Mirror’s evidence from 602 testimonials submitted to the lobbying group Doctors Association UK. Chairman Dr Rinesh Parmar said: “These heartbreaking stories from across the country show the extent of bullying and harassment that frontline doctors face whilst working to care for patients". Read full story Source: The Mirror, 12 February 2020- Posted
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Content ArticleResponding to the Paterson Inquiry, Ian Kennedy, Emeritus Professor of Health Law and Policy at University College London, discusses the systemic weaknesses in the NHS.
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News ArticleOne in three trainee doctors in Australia have experienced or witnessed bullying, harassment or discrimination in the past 12 months, but just a third have reported it. That's according to a national survey of almost 10,000 trainee doctors released today by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). The results of the survey, co-developed by the Medical Board of Australia (MBA), send a "loud message" about bullying and harassment to those in the medical profession, said MBA chair Anne Tonkin. "It is incumbent on all of us to heed it," Dr Tonkin said. "We must do this if we are serious about improving the culture of medicine." "Bullying, harassment and discrimination are not good for patient safety, constructive learning or the culture of medicine," Dr Tonkin continued. "We must all redouble our efforts to strengthen professional behaviour and deal effectively with unacceptable behaviour." Read full story Source: ABC News, 10 February 2020
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My thoughts on the Paterson Inquiry: a blog from a scrub theatre nurse
Anonymous posted an article in By health and care staff
I recently wrote a blog for the hub on my experience as a theatre scrub nurse in private healthcare, and what happened to me when I reported a surgeon for dropping an instrument on the floor and reusing it without sterilising it. Following the Paterson Inquiry, I see many similarities in the behaviour and the culture of surgeons and staff in operating theatres. I'd like to share my thoughts.- Posted
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- Leadership
- Culture of fear
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News Article
East of England Ambulance Service staff 'silenced' over bullying
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Concerns have been raised that NHS ambulance staff are being "silenced" over bullying allegations. Hundreds of East of England Ambulance Service (EEAS) employees reported bullying in 2018, while 28 non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) have been issued since 2016. The GMB union said the figures showed a "heavy-handed culture". The service said it took bullying and harassment "extremely seriously" and had policies to prevent such behaviour. EEAS faced scrutiny in November when it emerged three members of staff died in 11 days. One, Luke Wright, 24, is believed to have taken his own life. An independent investigation, which dealt in part with bullying claims, has been carried out with the results reported to the trust in January. The 28 NDAs had been made in cases where bullying, harassment or abuse by colleagues had been reported, according to figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act. These involved an individual agreement, often with a payment, which prevented the person speaking about their case. In the latest staff survey from 2018, 23% of staff reported bullying, up from 21% in the previous year. The GMB said NDAs were seen as a "method of silencing rather than resolving" and called on the trust to discuss more meaningful ways of dealing with problems. Read full story Source: BBC News, 10 February 2020- Posted
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Content ArticleThe Secret Midwife is a heart-breaking, engrossing and important book. Joyful and profoundly shocking, this is the story of birth, straight from the delivery room. The author argues that the system which is supposed to support the midwives and the women they care for is starting to crumble. Short-staffed, over worked and underappreciated – these crippling conditions are taking their toll on the dedicated staff doing their utmost to uphold our NHS, and the consequences are very serious indeed.
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- Midwife
- Personal reflection
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Content ArticleIn this podcast, Peter Duffy, Consultant Urologist, addresses University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMBT). He speaks of the significant and damaging challenges faced by himself and others who raise concerns about patient safety, including bullying, harassment and abuse. He argues that whistleblowers are suffering personally and professionally when they speak up on behalf of patients. Duffy states: "There remain safety critical issues that the governors need to hold the Board to account over, if the Board is to regain the full confidence of staff and patients".
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- Investigation
- Patient death
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