UK
Sexual harassment survey reveals ‘appalling abuse’ of NHS staffMichael Searles
THE TELEGRAPH
Mon, 8 April 2024
Harassment of NHS staff
One in 10 NHS staff have been shown porn, offered money for sex or assaulted at work, a survey into sexual harassment has found.
The Unison union said 10 per cent of more than 12,200 health workers it surveyed had reported an unwanted incident, including being inappropriately touched or kissed, demanded sex in return for favours or received derogatory remarks.
A third of those who had suffered some form of harrassment reported it as sexual assault, while half said they were leered at or targeted with suggestive gestures.
One in four said they had suffered unwelcome sexual advances, propositions or demands for sexual favours.
Crude “banter” or “jokes” were the most common issue, reported by three in five workers who had experienced some form of harassment, according to the research.
More than half of the sexual harassment incidents experienced by NHS staff were at the hands of colleagues, while two in five were by patients, the survey found.
Despite the serious and even criminal nature of some of the incidents, half the staff had not reported sexual harassment to their employer, mainly through fear of being considered “over-sensitive” or a feeling that their employer would not act on their complaint.
Christina McAnea, the general secretary of Unison, says: 'No-one should ever have to endure such despicable behaviour, and certainly not in their place of work' - Geoff Pugh for The Telegraph
Incidents included a 111 adviser, herself a survivor of sexual abuse, who described being regularly harassed on the phone by anonymous callers. The only response from her managers was to be told it is just part of the job, said Unison.
A pathology technician in Yorkshire and Humberside said they had “witnessed complete blurred boundaries, observed kissing, men grabbing colleagues from behind and pushing themselves into them”.
She added: “I’ve experienced someone inappropriately stroking my arm, someone sneaking up behind me and jabbing their fingers into my ribs, and someone slapping my bum. I even had someone pushing a lock of hair behind my ear when I was alone with them.”
A nurse from the West Midlands said they had received comments “about my hair, how I look and how they would love to have sex with me, which reminded me of when I was raped at a young age by a male patient”.
A separate 111 call handler from Wales said members of the public call the emergency number and try to use it as “a sex line”.
“We have a ‘three warnings’ policy before we hang up. Sometimes I have to go through an entire call and assessment with a patient about a personal issue whilst they are making sexual comments and crude jokes the entire time,” they said.
‘More must be done to protect staff’
Christina McAnea, the union’s general secretary, said: “No-one should ever have to endure such despicable behaviour, and certainly not in their place of work.
“But NHS staff often put up with this appalling abuse, not reporting it because they don’t believe they’ll be taken seriously.
“More must be done to protect nurses, healthcare assistants, cleaners and other NHS staff from sexual harassment, reassure them their complaints will be fully investigated, and action taken against the perpetrators.
“Employers must take swift action when workers flag up incidents, regardless of whether the sexual harassment has come from a patient or a colleague. Otherwise, this completely unacceptable behaviour will simply continue.”
A Department of Health spokesman said: “Sexual violence or misconduct of any kind is unacceptable and NHS organisations have a responsibility to protect both staff and patients.
“We have a zero tolerance approach and will continue to work with the NHS to ensure that they are taking measures to stop sexual assaults from happening, and to ensure staff feel comfortable raising concerns.
“We encourage any member of staff who have faced these issues to report it within the NHS, and to the police.”
Mon, 8 April 2024
Harassment of NHS staff
One in 10 NHS staff have been shown porn, offered money for sex or assaulted at work, a survey into sexual harassment has found.
The Unison union said 10 per cent of more than 12,200 health workers it surveyed had reported an unwanted incident, including being inappropriately touched or kissed, demanded sex in return for favours or received derogatory remarks.
A third of those who had suffered some form of harrassment reported it as sexual assault, while half said they were leered at or targeted with suggestive gestures.
One in four said they had suffered unwelcome sexual advances, propositions or demands for sexual favours.
Crude “banter” or “jokes” were the most common issue, reported by three in five workers who had experienced some form of harassment, according to the research.
More than half of the sexual harassment incidents experienced by NHS staff were at the hands of colleagues, while two in five were by patients, the survey found.
Despite the serious and even criminal nature of some of the incidents, half the staff had not reported sexual harassment to their employer, mainly through fear of being considered “over-sensitive” or a feeling that their employer would not act on their complaint.
Christina McAnea, the general secretary of Unison, says: 'No-one should ever have to endure such despicable behaviour, and certainly not in their place of work' - Geoff Pugh for The Telegraph
Incidents included a 111 adviser, herself a survivor of sexual abuse, who described being regularly harassed on the phone by anonymous callers. The only response from her managers was to be told it is just part of the job, said Unison.
A pathology technician in Yorkshire and Humberside said they had “witnessed complete blurred boundaries, observed kissing, men grabbing colleagues from behind and pushing themselves into them”.
She added: “I’ve experienced someone inappropriately stroking my arm, someone sneaking up behind me and jabbing their fingers into my ribs, and someone slapping my bum. I even had someone pushing a lock of hair behind my ear when I was alone with them.”
A nurse from the West Midlands said they had received comments “about my hair, how I look and how they would love to have sex with me, which reminded me of when I was raped at a young age by a male patient”.
A separate 111 call handler from Wales said members of the public call the emergency number and try to use it as “a sex line”.
“We have a ‘three warnings’ policy before we hang up. Sometimes I have to go through an entire call and assessment with a patient about a personal issue whilst they are making sexual comments and crude jokes the entire time,” they said.
‘More must be done to protect staff’
Christina McAnea, the union’s general secretary, said: “No-one should ever have to endure such despicable behaviour, and certainly not in their place of work.
“But NHS staff often put up with this appalling abuse, not reporting it because they don’t believe they’ll be taken seriously.
“More must be done to protect nurses, healthcare assistants, cleaners and other NHS staff from sexual harassment, reassure them their complaints will be fully investigated, and action taken against the perpetrators.
“Employers must take swift action when workers flag up incidents, regardless of whether the sexual harassment has come from a patient or a colleague. Otherwise, this completely unacceptable behaviour will simply continue.”
A Department of Health spokesman said: “Sexual violence or misconduct of any kind is unacceptable and NHS organisations have a responsibility to protect both staff and patients.
“We have a zero tolerance approach and will continue to work with the NHS to ensure that they are taking measures to stop sexual assaults from happening, and to ensure staff feel comfortable raising concerns.
“We encourage any member of staff who have faced these issues to report it within the NHS, and to the police.”
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