Almost one in three (29%) NHS staff reported that they experienced bullying, harassment and abuse from patients, their relatives or other members of the public in 2012 – double that of the previous year.
Worryingly one in four (24%) reported they had experienced bullying, harassment or abuse from either their line manager or other colleagues.
“Aggressive management has no place in the NHS. Hospitals need to foster a culture that encourages staff to be open with one another, and where clinical care is always the top priority,” said Professor Norman Williams, President of the Royal College of Surgeons.
“Clinicians and managers working together must create a more open NHS where anyone feels able to speak out when there is unacceptable behaviour, so that bullying, harassment and abuse are stamped out, once and for all.”
Just under two thirds (65%) of incidents of physical violence and forty-four percent of bullying, harassment or abuse cases were reported.
