Doctors bullied over patient safety concerns
Posted: June 24, 2015
Posted in: Medical Negligence
According to a recent report by the British Medical Association, hospital doctors face bullying and harassment when they raise patient safety concerns. The report surveyed more than 500 doctors across Wales, with just less than 60% saying they had raised a concern in the previous three months. Of that 60%, more than 60% noted that they had suffered harassment as a result.
The BMA survey was sent out to around 3,000 members of health staff, including junior doctors, consultants and specialists, between March and May of this year. Only around one in six responded to the survey, yet it still flagged up some serious issues.
No action taken
The report highlighted that 40% of those who said they had raised concerns felt that no action had been taken as a result. The chair of the BMA’s Welsh council, Dr Phil Banfield, said that he found the situation “hugely worrying”.
Dr Banfield said that the report’s findings were clear evidence of the strain being placed on NHS frontline staff. He said that the report showed that 84.4% of those who responded to the survey felt that their workplace was affected by long-term unfilled staff vacancies, and 69% believed that they worked for longer hours than suitable to maintain a top quality of patient care.
A Welsh government spokesman said: “All NHS Wales staff should be treated with dignity and respect, in line with established policy. All NHS organisations must take action to address any concerns raised by staff in a prompt and timely manner.”
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