Huddersfield Daily Examiner

Third of NHS staff bullied

SURVEY REVEALS SHOCKING RISE IN ABUSE FROM PATIENTS AND RELATIVES

- By NICK LAVIGUEUR nick@examiner.co.uk @grecian9

NEARLY one in three staff working at Huddersfie­ld Royal Infirmary or Calderdale Royal Hospital in Halifax were bullied by patients or their relatives last year – and the problem is getting worse.

According to the NHS staff survey, 30.1% of staff at Calderdale and Huddersfie­ld NHS Foundation Trust experience­d at least one incident of harassment, bullying or abuse from a patient, relative or member of the public in 2019.

That’s the highest proportion since comparable records began in 2014 – when 26.3% of staff reported bullying and abuse.

Staff also reported rising levels of abuse from their own colleagues with 19.1% of them reporting at least one incident last year, up from 18.6% in 2018.

It’s not just bullying that’s an increasing problem.

One in six (16.8%) members of staff at the trust reported at least one incident of violence from patients, relatives or members of the public last year, up from 15.8% in 2018.

The British Medical Associatio­n (BMA) has warned of the detrimenta­l impact of violence and abuse on the physical and mental health of staff.

Figures from the survey show 45.4% of staff at the trust felt unwell because of stress last year, up from 42.3% in 2018 and the highest rate since 2014.

Jason Eddleston, the trust’s deputy director of workforce, said: “We would ask members of the public to treat our staff with respect when they are being cared for by them.

“We make every effort to ensure all our staff are valued and safe at their work. We have around 6,000 colleagues and volunteers and looking after them is very important to us.

“We would always encourage reporting of any incident so action can be taken.”

Across England, 28.5% of NHS staff reported at least one incident of harassment, bullying or abuse from patients, their relatives or other members of the public last year, the same proportion as in 2018.

As well as this, 14.9% reported at least one incident of violence from this group, up from 14.6% in 2018.

Ambulance staff and those working for mental health and learning disability trusts are the most likely to experience violence and abuse.

Dr Helena McKeown, a BMA chief officer said: “It is an intolerabl­e situation when doctors – and all NHS staff – working above and beyond to provide high quality, compassion­ate care to patients, face violence and abuse from the very people they are treating. While rising workloads and under-staffed working environmen­ts can lead to long waiting times and frustratio­ns for patients and their loved ones, there is absolutely no excuse for this to be taken out on dedicated staff, who only want the best for their patients.”

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Huddersfie­ld Royal Infirmary ANDY CATCHPOOL

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