Health board rocked by new bully ing claim
‘Half of NHS Highland staff harassed’
NEW bullying concerns have been raised at a health board after a staff survey found that around half had experienced harassment.
A follow-up investigation of bullying at NHS Highland found 49 per cent of staff said they had experienced the problem in recent months.
That is despite a major review of staff culture prompted by bullying claims.
The health board has been dealing with allegations of a ‘culture of bullying’, made public by whistleblowers in September 2018 and later examined in an independent review led by John Sturrock, QC.
A group of senior doctors raised the allegations, which
‘Serious harm and trauma’
they said had been going on for at least a decade.
The latest research was commissioned by the health board in the wake of the Sturrock Review, which concluded that many staff had suffered ‘serious harm and trauma’.
It highlighted problems in the Argyll and Bute area, including intimidating behaviour by some senior managers.
People living in small communities also faced ‘victimisation, harassment, humiliation and rumour-spreading’.
The survey of 1,540 NHS Highland staff at the Argyll and Bute Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) drew 508 responses and was carried out between February and April this year.
The 49 per cent of staff who said they experienced bullying said it had happened within the six months prior to the survey.
Dr Iain Kennedy, a GP and one of the original NHS Highland whistleblowers, said he had heard from ‘two or three’ concerned doctors in the past six months. He said he had been told of ‘very long-standing situations where people who are perceived as serial bullies over many years are still in post’.
He added: ‘It seems to be happening not just at the very senior level, which is what our experience was in north Highland, but happening lower down the chain of command.’
Douglas Philand, a former
NHS mental health nurse and independent councillor for midArgyll, said ‘about five people’ had contacted him, describing ‘a sort of intimidation – ‘‘if you don’t do something this will happen to you, or you might not get a job’’. It’s subtle bullying and harassment.’
Hundreds of current and former NHS Highland staff have told of bullying since whistleblowers revealed the scandal.
They have been offered a ‘healing process’ with options such as an apology from the board or access to counselling and independent reviews of their cases.
Joanna Macdonald, chief officer of Argyll and Bute HSCP, said: ‘NHS Highland and Argyll and Bute HSCP have offered a sincere apology to colleagues who indicated they experienced bullying and harassment.’