Trust condemns racist attacks on healthcare staff

Neil Guckian says the Western Trust would be 'decimated' without the backing of staff from across the globe

Senior officials at the Western Health Trust have condemned recent "racist attacks" on staff members.

In a joint statement, senior clinicians and managers criticised the racial abuse being experienced by employees across the trust.

Chief executive Neil Guckian told a trust board meeting at the South West Acute Hospital in Enniskillen this week that he was "disheartened" to learn of the abuse some colleagues had faced.

"We condemn this in the strongest possible terms," Mr Guckian said.

Western Trust chief executive Neil Guckian says he is 'disheartened' by racist attacks on colleagues

International colleagues, he said, were integral to the trust's delivery of services.

Speaking to BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today programme on Friday, Mr Guckian said they had noticed a stark increase in racial abuse of staff in recent months.

He said the trust felt the need to issue a statement following a "particularly unsavoury incident" in Fermanagh, which is being investigated by the police.

He did not give details of the incident.

"The health and social services in Northern Ireland - the Western Trust particularly - would be decimated if we didn't have our international staff," Mr Guckian said.

He said they had attracted some of the best people in the world to work here.

"As an employer with one of the most diverse workforces west of the Bann, we do all we can to support our staff," he said.

"We have a really active ethnically diverse staff network, but we are still learning about the difficulties they go through daily."

Mr Guckian said recent incidents, including violent scenes in Ballymena which the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) branded "racist thuggery" in June, and attacks on vehicles and homes in September were deeply concerning.

"This is not just a Western Trust issue; this is a worldwide issue," he said.

"It is really important for me that Northern Ireland does not get the name of being a racist country."

He said that could be avoided if the community stands together.

Mr Guckian said it was "absolutely unacceptable" for people to exhibit racist behaviour in health and social care settings and, if they needed to, they would involve the police.

'Racism has no place in our hospitals'

In a statement, the chair of the trust's ethnically diverse staff network, Roshin Rahman, also condemned recent incidents of racial abuse and said it affected staff well-being and morale.

"Our staff dedicate themselves to serving our patients and their families, often in the most challenging circumstances, and they deserve to feel safe and supported in our communities," she said.

"Racism has no place in our hospitals or communities, and any racially motivated abuse or violence directed at staff and their families will not be tolerated.

"Such acts are damaging to our staff's sense of safety, dignity and well-being, and they also affect our teams collectively."

The trust has pledged to support staff affected by hate crime, including racial abuse, and said it would work alongside the police and other agencies to address this.

Other attacks

One of the burnt-out cars in Ballymena

It comes after another major employer in Northern Ireland condemned a racist attack on staff in Ballymena.

Six cars belonging to Filipino workers were destroyed in an arson attack outside their rented accommodation in the Lisnevenagh Road last Sunday night.

They work for the bus manufacturer Wrightbus, the largest employer in the town.

Human resources (HR) director James Hamill said they strongly condemned "violence of any kind" and the affected staff felt "safe enough" to return to work this week.

"As a global business, we're incredibly proud of the highly skilled, talented and diverse workforce we've built here," he said.

"Each one of them has helped us become a true industry leader and, as a responsible employer, we remain indebted to every one of them."

'Totally unacceptable'

Sinn Féin MP for Fermanagh and South Pat Cullen, who is a former chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), condemned the racist attacks as "shocking and totally unacceptable".

She said everyone had the right to feel safe at work and praised international health staff for their vital contribution, warning that the system could not function without them.

The MP said the attacks and abuse were deplorable and should be dealt with through the courts.