Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Bullying and harassmentLatest NewsHR practice

Violence against NHS staff fails to decline, staff survey reveals

by Louisa Peacock 25 Mar 2009
by Louisa Peacock 25 Mar 2009

The level of physical violence against NHS staff has failed to improve for the fourth year in a row despite more workers being trained to handle abuse, the latest staff survey has revealed.

More than one in ten NHS workers (12%) reported experiencing physical violence from patients or their relatives, the survey by the Healthcare Commission found. The figure is “relatively unchanged” over the past four years, despite nearly a third (28%) of staff taking training in the prevention of violence and aggression last year, up 2% from 2007, the survey by the Healthcare Commission found. 

The sixth annual survey of 160,000 NHS workers also showed a third of staff (31%) do not feel valued by their trust while a quarter (26%) said senior managers did not act on feedback.

The news comes days after the healthcare watchdog slammed “appalling” standards in leadership and management at an NHS trust, causing needless deaths.

Anna Walker, chief executive of the Healthcare Commission, said: “There are real lessons to be learnt from the NHS staff survey about leadership, management and team work. Staff feel informed, but not involved in decisions that affect their working life and don’t feel valued by their trust. Yet the survey shows that NHS staff are dedicated to their jobs and to their patients.

Just 51% of staff felt they had been communicated the overall vision of the NHS. While more staff reported incidents that could have hurt staff or patients, a third (29%) did not feel informed about changes.

Walker added it was good that staff feel able to report incidents. “But many staff say they’re not told if changes are made as a result of reports. This is a vital part of the process that trusts must carry out if they are truly serious about tackling the causes of incidents and preventing unnecessary harm to patients or staff.”

Walker urged all 390 trusts to study their results, compare themselves with similar NHS organisations and “identify opportunities to make real and lasting improvements to the working lives of their staff”.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Other survey findings:
– Nearly 2% of all staff said that they had experienced physical violence from other staff
– 23% experienced bullying, harassment and verbal abuse from patients, while 18% had experienced bullying, harassment or abuse from either their line manager or other colleagues.
– 47% said there were not enough staff to do the job properly
– 58% of those working in teams say they are not well-structured with clear objectives and that they don’t regularly review performance
– 8% of staff said they experienced some sort of discrimination at work in the previous 12 months
– 28% of staff suffered work-related stress
– 62% of staff are trained in infection control.


 

Louisa Peacock

previous post
Skills not neglected by business, insists CIPD
next post
Public sector pay confirmed by government

You may also like

Restaurant tips should be included in holiday pay

21 May 2025

Fewer workers would comply with a return-to-office mandate

21 May 2025

Redefining leadership: From competence to inclusion

21 May 2025

Pay awards in real terms could fall for...

21 May 2025

Ryanair demands flight attendants pay back salary increase

21 May 2025

Consultation launched after Supreme Court ‘sex’ ruling

20 May 2025

Uncertainty over law hampering legal use of medical...

20 May 2025

Black security manager awarded £360k after decade of...

20 May 2025

Employers ‘worryingly’ ignorant about stress risk assessments

20 May 2025

UK and EU agree to collaborate on ‘youth...

19 May 2025

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+