Hospitals are houses of horror, says nurse
TWO hospitals have been slammed as “houses of horror” by a nurse who says she has been “bullied, humiliated and degraded” by management for more than a decade.
Last week, three employees at Southport and Ormskirk Hospital Trust spoke of a workplace bullying culture.
And the Visiter has this week received a number of calls and emails from others who say they are frequently intimidated by those higher up.
Figures suggest one in eight of the trust’s staff members were bullied by managers last year, with almost one in five (19%) saying they had been victims of bullying, harassment and abuse from other colleagues.
One nurse, who wishes to remain nameless, said: “I have worked at Southport and Ormskirk hospitals for almost 10 years.
“In the last two years or so, between two departments run by the same manager, we have lost more than 20 nurses mainly due to this person’s bullying.
“But this person has stopped my progression for years. She promises me the world one day and calls me ‘fit to burn’ the next. She tells blatant lies about me to my colleagues. She screams at staff and tells people how ‘rubbish’ they are.
“We report it and it gets brushed under the carpet.
“But we feel silenced for fear of losing our jobs.”
Another said: “I left the trust earlier this year due to bullying. In order to escape the situation, I have taken a Band 3 role which is a two-band drop from my previous role.
“I have been a Samaritans volunteer for 10 years; the bullying was so bad I had to use the service myself.
“The humiliation and hostility was terrible. [My manager] would swamp me with work and just flat out lie to me.
“I followed trust procedure and took out a grievance, which is a farce because it is NHS managers investigating NHS managers.
“Despite the drop in salary, I am now happy in my new job and have the energy to continue fighting; my concern is for whoever replaced me at my old job.
“[The manager] hard-wired bully.
“Her managers are fully aware of this and do nothing. As far as I’m concerned this means they have sided with the bully.”
A third said: “Southport is a and Ormskirk hospitals are houses of horror.
“We are bullied constantly, spoken to disgustingly. There is no respect.
“We are shouted at, talked over, discredited, ridiculed, humiliated and degraded.
“And then you become mentally unwell and have to go off sick, and then you’re just seen as more of a problem - when you’re at your most vulnerable.
“We all love the job we do and the patients, but there is no duty of care at all from above. And they’re all in it together.”
Silas Nicholls, trust chief executive, said: “Since becoming chief executive in April, both I and the executive team have made it clear we take all accusations of bullying and harassment extremely seriously.
“There is no room for bullying in the trust. It will not be tolerated and we will do what it takes to address it.
“I am very sorry the individuals who have spoken to the Visiter did not feel confident to raise their concerns with the trust.
“I would urge them to come forward now either directly or in confidence to our independent Freedom to Speak Up Guardian Martin Abrams.
“Their concerns, and those of any other colleagues who feel the need to speak up, will be fully investigated and appropriate action taken where necessary.”
John Flannery, Southport & Ormskirk Trust’s Unison representative said: “Staff should be able to work in an environment that is safe, supportive, and free from bullying and harassment.
“Unison allegations of bullying very seriously and we support our members in raising and dealing with these situations.
“This includes supporting members to whistleblow where necessary.
“Staff who are experiencing bullying and harassment should not feel that they have to suffer in silence.”