The problems we face every day

UNISON health delegates have passed a series of motions on serious but sometimes little discussed issues that affect their daily working lives. These included bullying, the menopause, mandatory flu vaccinations and hospital food. Bullying. Conference heard that bullying in the NHS is “endemic”, “institutionalised” and can be seen at every level – by ministers towards civil servants, to organisations like NHS Improvement and NHS England making unreasonable demands on trusts, down through every layer of management until it hits frontline staff. The 2017 NHS staff survey found that one in four NHS staff had experienced bullying, harassment or abuse from colleagues in the previous 12 months. At the same time, staff frequently report issues of racism, aggressive and abusive language and even physical violence from patients. Delegates charged the health service group executive (SGE) to: work in partnership with the Department of Health & Social Care to develop a strategy to identify and tackle institutional bullying at all levels in the health system; continue to support branches and stewards who are tackling bullying and harassment in their workplace; remind employers of their duty of care toward employees with regard to patient-on-staff bullying. Menopause. The NHS and the wider healthcare system are the largest employers of women in the UK. But conference heard that there is “disappointingly little support” offered to women struggling to cope and to work whil...
Source: UNISON meat hygiene - Category: Food Science Authors: Tags: Article 2019 Health Conference Source Type: news