Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Ambulance service shamed by claims of widespread sexual harassment
Independent study uncovers environment of bullying, grooming and abuse
Ambulance staff in Kent have been offered promotion in return for sexual favours, an explosive report has revealed.
The independent study uncovered a toxic environment of bullying, grooming and harassment at the South East Coast Ambulance Service (Secamb), which it says is run by a managerial “boys’ club”.
Some male staff members were described as “predators” who “groomed” students for sexual ends, while female employees described how they had been groped and leered at in front of colleagues and patients.
In all, more than 40% of the 2,000 staff surveyed reported being subjected to bullying in the past year.
The study, produced by Plymouth University’s Prof Duncan Lewis, was commissioned by Secamb following concerns raised in a Care Quality Commission report last year that rated it inadequate and plunged it into special measures.
Prof Lewis concluded that the failures of the trust to address the issues of bullying and harassment have “left many employees bereft of confidence and direction”.
He wrote: “Female staff talked about sexual favours being sought in return for career progression, whilst others were hounded by managers seeking sexual favours.
“Several female staff felt that such behaviours were the norm, with some stating ‘my arse was slapped regularly’ and others who felt they were demeaned by highly sexualised gazing in front of colleagues and even patients.
“Some female respondents talked about ‘sexual predators’ among male colleagues who ‘groomed students’ for sexualised ends.
“Some managers felt there was a history of comments being turned to lewd remarks but slowly these were being addressed.”
Half of the staff surveyed reported being treated in a disrespectful or rude way; more than a third experienced intimidating behaviour or felt threatened; a third reported regular exposure to gossip, rumours, insults and alienation; and a quarter were teased or the butt of jokes which went too far.
At the root of many of the issues was a managerial “boys’ club” of individuals who’d progressed through the trust together, which created a toxic environment and made many staff feel like they could not progress unless their “face fitted”.
The HR department responsible for dealing with grievances was described as dysfunctional, and many of its employees were seen as bullies.
The report praised staff who came forward, many out of a sense of “moral duty” and said many genuinely feared for their jobs.
Secamb, which covers Kent, Surrey, Sussex and north-east Hampshire, says action has been taken following the damning report.
A spokesman for the trust said: “Publishing the report in full is the first step in the trust tackling its findings. The trust wants to make it very clear behaviours identified are unacceptable and HR action is being taken against individuals where necessary.”
Secamb will be holding a number of focus groups in the coming weeks to address the issues further.
Chief executive Daren Mochrie said: “I would like to thank Prof Lewis for his expertise in writing this report, although I am truly disappointed and upset so many of our staff have experienced bullying and disrespectful behaviour.”