The Department of Health has produced a film designed to tackle the persistent problem of bullying and harassment in the NHS.
The 15-minute film mixes excerpts from BBC comedy The Office with reconstructions and animations demonstrating that bullying and harassment are not always easy to spot.
Bullying is a major contributor to stress related sickness – estimated to cost the UK economy up to £1.3bn a year. The latest NHS staff survey revealed that bullying and harassment affected more than one in 10 staff and 46% of respondents felt their NHS trust did not tackle bullying effectively.
The film is available to view by 3,700 Department of Health staff on its intranet, but has not yet been rolled out to the wider NHS.
Harbhajan Singh Brar, the department’s HR director, told Personnel Today the film was just one of a range of initiatives which demonstrated its zero-tolerance approach to bullying. These included group training sessions, a revamp of dispute procedures and the introduction of harassment advisers.
“The film has allowed our staff to openly discuss issues in their workplaces, as well as reminding people of the formal routes to tackle bullying and harassment within the department,” said Singh Brar.
He said he expected the number of bullying complaints in the department to rise as staff become more aware of the issue and the formalised procedures.
You can view the DH film via this link and turning to page 7 of the digital magazine. Or you can view an edited down version below.
