BAME hospital staff still more likely to be bullied, reveals survey
Black and minority ethnic workers at a hospital are more likely to suffer “harassment, bullying and abuse” from bosses and colleagues, according to a survey.
Staff survey results from the last three years at Dudley’s Russells Hall Hospital consistently showed a higher percentage of BAME staff reporting issues with treatment by fellow workers and management.
The trust that runs the hospital has said it was determined to promote a fair and inclusive culture as it seeks to move on from a bullying scandal which rocked it in 2018.
The results for the three years, from 2017 to 2019, showed a worsening trend for both white and BAME staff in bullying and harassment.
Results for 2019 were also worse than the national NHS average.
The amount of BAME staff stating they had experienced discrimination at work from a manager or team leader in the previous 12 months increased from 14.4 per cent to 17.4 per cent up to 2019.
For white staff the figure was much lower but still went up, from 5.8 per cent to 6.3 per cent. BAME workers suffering harassment, bullying or abuse from colleagues rose from 29.4 per cent in 2017 to 33 per cent last year, though that figure was slightly down from 36.3 per cent in 2018, the only area of improvement.
Challenging
Only 67.8 per cent believed the organisation provided equal opportunities for career progression or promotion in 2019, down from 77.8 per cent two years earlier. That compared to 84.8 per cent of white staff.
In its latest board report, the trust said it was committed to ensuring equality and fairness.
It said: “We have formed an inclusion network for staff who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning – plus (LGBTQ+) and a network for our BAME staff.
"We understand the experiences of staff from diverse backgrounds can often be very different and at times challenging. Therefore, our inclusion networks will help inform the trust’s leadership and influence decision making, as well as actions and interventions.”
Russells Hall bosses were eventually cleared of bullying allegations last year following an independent investigation, though the findings were criticised by senior doctors and union leaders.
Results for 2019 revealed Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust was the worst performing in the region in terms of equality.
