Concerns of bullying raised by NHS staff

Staff have raised concerns of bullying and discrimination in south Essex hospitals

Bullying, harassment and discrimination are among more than 200 issues that NHS whistleblowers have reported at south Essex hospitals over the past year.

Reports from staff at Basildon, Southend and Broomfield hospitals have revealed that some medics fear for their own safety and most workers said they faced pressures to work overtime.

Seven of the reported cases related to incidents of staff being attacked or feeling threatened with violence by patients or visitors.

Matthew Hopkins, chief executive of the Mid and South Essex NHS Trust, said: "We know that an open and honest culture, where our staff feel safe to raise concerns, enables us to continuously improve the care we provide."

One complaint involved a manager who allegedly has phone calls with staff about private and sensitive issues on loudspeaker with the door open.

While other employees said they had been treated unfairly and without consideration of their feelings or compassion.

A spokesperson for campaign group Save Southend NHS said: "Common consequences described by staff raising such concerns include poorer standards of communication, dysfunctional teams, reduced staff confidence, reduced staff performance and poor mental health."

They said it was foreseeable that poor standards of behaviour between staff could lead to higher staff absence rates, more human error, and reduced care capability.

The Guardian Service is an independent and confidential service and protects NHS staff who raise concerns.

The body reported an increase in complaints from staff at Southend, Basildon and Broomfield hospitals.

Staff raised 248 new concerns between 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024, which is an increase of 70 on the previous year.

The highest numbers of concerns involved management issues with accusations of incivility, bullying, harassment and discrimination.

There were also 110 complaints from nursing and midwifery staff.

Medical and administrative staff complained of alleged dishonesty and lack of transparency in communications.

Mr Hopkins said: "The confidential and independent Guardian Service works alongside our own Freedom to Speak Up Champions to help support staff to raise concerns.

“Over the last year we have promoted the service, which has successfully increased the number of cases being reported to the Guardian Service."