Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • 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
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • 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
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Latest NewsHR practiceBullying and harassment

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”.

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.


 

Avatar
Louisa Peacock

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

You may also like

Lego leader lands top spot for AI in...

22 Sep 2023

Managing the risks of ‘working from anywhere’ requests...

22 Sep 2023

Leavesden studios expansion to create 4,000 jobs

22 Sep 2023

What does it mean to be an HR...

22 Sep 2023

How to retain key talent using the power...

22 Sep 2023

Unions and industry voice irritation with green policy...

21 Sep 2023

AI in employment: the pitfalls and laws on...

21 Sep 2023

Coalition of firms sets out to boost diversity...

21 Sep 2023

Personnel Today Awards 2023 shortlist: Candidate Experience Award

21 Sep 2023

Top family-friendly employers for 2023 named

20 Sep 2023

  • Discover the value of CIPD accreditation PROMOTED | See how the CIPD can increase your earning potential...Read more
  • What does it mean to be an HR professional in 2024? (survey) PROMOTED | The world of HR is changing rapidly...Read more
  • The Contractor Management Mastery Pack: Everything you need to manage and pay global contractors PROMOTED | Answers to cross-border...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 2023

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2023 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • 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
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+