Inaccurate reporting in the Derby Telegraph
The Trust would like to correct recent inaccurate reporting in the Derby Telegraph
In the Derby Telegraph on Tuesday 10 November it was reported that there has been an ‘Increase in bullying and harassment among Royal Derby Hospital staff’ and that ‘The problem is getting worse due to the pandemic’.
This was based on discussions at our Public Board meeting and is not correct. We have worked hard to encourage all staff to talk about their concerns this year, which is more important than ever due to the pandemic. What was discussed was the increase in staff choosing to talk about concerns, not an increase in bullying itself.
In the article, it also stated that 3,300 colleagues had reported bullying/harassment, or ‘800 of 2,600 BAME staff’ and ‘2,500 of 10,000 white employees’ have faced harassment, bullying or abuse from colleagues in the past 12 months.
Again, these figures are incorrect, we have seen 221 colleagues report concerns about bullying of which 33 were of a BAME heritage.
The Derby Telegraph reported percentages of our total workforce, instead of percentages of the total number speaking up for the period.
These figures are comparable with 2019 and 2018 and take into account the difficulties of working in a pandemic.
Amanda Rawlings, Director of People and Organisational Development at UHDB, said: “We’re extremely disappointed that incorrect figures have been used to suggest more than 3,300 of our 13,000 staff are subject to bullying and harassment.
“Although the actual figure is 221 and this is 221 too many, we feel it is important for our staff and our communities can be assured that we will not tolerate bullying in any of our hospitals. In our last national NHS staff survey the Trust scored better than the national average for bullying and harassment, but we are not happy with this position and have commenced a programme of work to make significant improvements.
“As a Trust, we’re absolutely committed to creating a positive environment for our staff to thrive and to feel able to provide our patients with the best care possible. None of our staff should ever have to tolerate any kind of bullying or harassment while they’re at work and we ask our people to seek support immediately.
“Openness is one of our central values here at UHDB and we’re trying to create a culture where, not only do our staff feel able to speak up when something isn’t right, but where doing this is actually applauded. Our Freedom to Speak Up service helps us to do exactly that and offers a safe space where our colleagues are able to raise any concerns that they may have, in confidence.
“The last few months have represented an enormous challenge for us all, so it is important, now more than ever, that our colleagues all pull in the same direction and continue to be there to support each other.”
Gavin Boyle, Chief Executive, said: “Our Freedom to Speak Up Guardian has been shortlisted for a number of national awards recently and we are proud of the work she does in encouraging colleagues who have concerns about anything including bullying to talk about them.
“It is a sad fact that most large organisations experience this challenge. However, at UHDB we are committed to tackling the issue head on, which is why we make time at our Public Board meeting to discuss it and place such importance on the Freedom to Speak Up role. An open and compassionate culture is central to the UHDB way.
“It’s disappointing that some elements in the media react to this openness in a way that is likely to discourage other organisations from adopting a similarly candid approach; particularly when the reporting is inaccurate and misleading. All of my colleagues are working so hard at the moment under extremely difficult circumstances and I suspect many will have been crestfallen to see their hospitals portrayed in this misleading way.”
Alison Bell, Freedom to speak up guardian, said: “My role is to listen to staff who have concerns about a range of issue and act as an independent critical friend to the Trust. I have regular meetings with Executives to share these concerns anonymously and these are always listened to and acted upon. I would like to emphasise how open and willing the Board have been during this difficult period in supporting people to speak up."