One in four members of staff at West Herts have reported bullying, harassment and abuse in the workplace in the last year.
Abuse from patients, visitors and members of the public can have a significant emotional impact on staff, particularly those working on the frontline who often come face-to-face with unacceptable behaviour.
Rima, one of the nurses working in Watford General’s Emergency Department, describes how she’s faced both verbal and physical abuse from patients during her shift.
“I was literally punched back and forth five or six times by a patient, and I regularly face verbal abuse from patients.”
Another ED Nurse, Fay, has had patients smack and punch her in the face and has also experienced verbal abuse while six months pregnant.
Staff are also often subject to racist abuse, with Great, a Healthcare Support Worker working in ED, describing how one patient said to him, ‘Go back to your country, you black man, what are you doing here?’”
This abuse has serious emotional and physical impact on staff, who are increasingly concerned that individuals do not think about the impact of their actions.
Rima says: “The worst part is that sometimes healthcare workers think abuse at work is part of the job, which it shouldn’t be. There’s a difference between being frustrated and being abusive.”
Kirsty, an ED Healthcare Support Worker, explains that because staff are often seen as the face of the service, they can become the target of people’s frustrations, affecting the job they love and want to feel passionate about.
“Because we’re the front line, it’s us they take it out on. You feel intimidated. Sometimes you can feel physically quite scared.”
You sometimes wonder, why am I doing this? I love my job. I love helping people. And when people treat you like that, it’s humiliating, intimidating and scary.”
The Trust are taking serious steps towards tackling abuse, reiterating in their latest ‘No Excuse for Abuse’ campaign that they will not tolerate abuse of any sort.
Elsa Locatelli, Matron for ED, says the Trust is working hard to make it clear that abuse is not tolerated and that staff are entitled to report incidents at the highest level.
This includes removing staff from unsafe situations, supporting staff wellbeing after incidents, providing 24-hour security to intervene when incidents occur, and working with police to support the wider Trust.
The Trust has also developed a series of new posters appearing in wards, departments and public areas as part of the Trust's No Excuse for Abuse campaign.
The aim of the posters is to remind patients and visitors that behind every uniform and colleague is a person, a family member and someone who deserves to be treated with kindness and respect.
Elsa said: “Abuse is absolutely appalling and very upsetting for our staff. We want people to remember that our colleague's shift will be impacted. They will feel scared throughout their day. They will take that home to their family. This is not okay.”
“We are here to do our job. We are human beings, and we’re not tolerating this.”
Kelly McGovern, the Trust’s Chief Nurse, said: “Abuse of any kind is not acceptable. Our staff are here to care for people, and they deserve to do their jobs without being shouted at, threatened or attacked. Please treat our staff with the respect they deserve.”