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25
May 2021
NHS doctors in Wales face bullying for raising safety concerns
A union leader has said doctors in Wales are facing disciplinary action and bullying for raising concerns over safety and working conditions.
The Welsh government said bullying of NHS staff was “entirely unacceptable”.
BMA Wales’ Dr Phil Banfield, said doctors who raised concerns about work, both before and during the pandemic, were viewed as “troublemakers”, adding that there were worries that bullying among staff would worsen as longer post-Covid waiting lists were tackled.
He went on to say “What happens then is the person that’s raised the concern is often victimised, either by colleagues or the health services themselves. They find themselves out on a limb. What happens then is the wrong people leave the health service.”
Dr Banfield also said issues relating to both bullying and safety were prevalent in the early days of the pandemic last spring, particular over the issue of PPE.
He said “There were some concerns, and we expressed some alarm very early on, that there was a discrepancy between what the PPE advice was and what our members’ concerns were on the shop floor.”
A spokesperson from the Welsh government has said “Any form of discrimination, bullying and harassment within the NHS is entirely unacceptable and we take these matters very seriously.
“We continue to work with the NHS to tackle all forms of discrimination and expect all NHS Wales staff to be treated with dignity and respect.
“Policies are in place to ensure NHS organisations take action to address any concerns raised to them and all staff are encouraged to raise any worries.”
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Posted by Karen Motley, Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (tonymay@chadlaw.co.uk ), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.
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