A fifth of NHS Lothian staff claim to have been bullied

Published on Monday 13 April 2009 09:58

ALMOST a fifth of NHS Lothian staff claim they have been bullied at work in the last year in a survey which suggests widespread low morale among health service workers.

More than half of the 6000-plus staff who responded to the survey said they would not recommend NHS Lothian as a place to work.

Other findings suggest a fifth have felt they had been harassed at work and one in ten claimed they had been discriminated against.

However, it also found more than 75 per cent said they are well supported by colleagues and 83 per cent said they were happy to go "the extra mile" at work.

Although most scores had improved, the complaints of bullying and harassment were on the rise. One in five complained compared to one in six the previous year.

The data comes from a survey by NHS Scotland, who asked tens of thousands of employees their views on a range of issues.

Tom Waterson, Unison's Lothian Health branch chairman, said he had expected a rise in bullying complaints because the health service was shedding a culture where it was seen as unacceptable to report such concerns.

He added: "Even one case of bullying is too many, and when people are found guilty of it they are dismissed."

Twenty one per cent of staff reported being involved in a violent or aggressive incident, though most of these are thought to involve psychiatric patients.

Only half said when they reported the incident that they received a satisfactory outcome.

Complaints of bullying, harassment and aggressive incidents were higher in the Lothians than the national average, although there were fewer complaints of discrimination than elsewhere.

Mr Waterson said he was unconvinced by the findings about staff suggesting NHS Lothian was not a good place to work. "I think retention is a better gauge than surveys, and perhaps people who fill in the surveys are more likely to have a gripe," he said.

"By and large the NHS is a good place to work, the pension scheme is among the best in Europe."

The survey also showed evidence of strong management, with almost four in five saying they were clear on what was expected of them.

However, only 28 per cent said communication between staff and management was effective.

Alan Boyter, NHS Lothian's director of human resources and organisational development, said: "On the whole the survey is positive. However, it is concerning to see a small number of people have felt themselves to be the victims of inappropriate behaviour.

"Bullying and harassment at work is unacceptable and we will do everything we can to eradicate it."