Bullying still on the rise at troubled trust

An ambulance trust with a long history of cultural problems saw the proportion of staff reporting being bullied or harassed increase in 2023.

The survey by East of England Ambulance Service Trust found 35 per cent of staff who responded said they had experienced bullying or harassment over the last 12 months—up from 32 per cent in 2022, and 25 per cent in 2020.

The work commissioned by the trust also found that many staff who had experienced or seen bullying, or racial or sexual harassment, did not report it, with fear of retaliation being a key factor in their decision. Less than 40 per cent said they would speak to a Freedom to Speak Up Guardian about concerns.

The trust—which has made high-profile efforts to address cultural issues in recent years—said it was normal to see a rise in complaints as staff became aware poor behaviour would not be tolerated, and felt safer to speak out.

Hein Scheffer, the trust’s director of strategy, culture and education, said: “Bullying, harassment and poor behaviour have no place in our organisation and we regularly survey our people’s experience of workplace behaviours to help us root this out. We are working hard to improve our culture and we are among the most improved NHS organisations in England for staff feeling confident in speaking out – with 63% describing the trust as supportive."

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Source: HSJ, 12 June 2024