HSE issues improvement notice to NHS trust

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has issued an “improvement notice” against an NHS trust for failings surrounding its management of work-related stress.

The notice against United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust is only the second time the HSE has taken this radical step. The first notice was issued in 2003 against West Dorset General Hospitals NHS Trust, following complaints about bullying and long working hours, and led to a rapid improvement in stress management.

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Ben Wilmott, senior public policy adviser at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, told Occupational Health’s sister title Personnel Today that this action should serve as a warning to others.

“It is in employers’ interests to take action and use staff surveys to identify potential problems, train line managers to manage people properly, and ensure there is access to occupational health services,” he said.