NHS trusts in England will be rated on tackling violence and racism towards staff

The NHS in England will start rating different healthcare organisations based on how well they deal with issues like racism, violence, and sexual misconduct that staff experience. This new system was announced by the government.

Starting in July, all acute hospitals, ambulance services, and mental health trusts in England will be officially judged and placed in league tables. These tables will rank them on six key areas related to staff wellbeing, which affects over 1.5 million employees.

This announcement includes all NHS bodies that provide secondary care, meaning hospitals and specialist services. Primary care, like GP practices, is not included yet, but the government hopes to include them in the future.

The new performance standards will evaluate hospitals and ambulance services on their success in several areas. These include fighting racism, preventing violence, ensuring sexual safety, encouraging flexible working, improving management, and providing support for health and wellbeing. Each organisation will receive a score from one to four for each measure, which will then contribute to their overall rating.

For the first time, how well trusts support their staff’s wellbeing will directly impact their overall performance score. This will be measured using results from the NHS staff survey and will be considered alongside important patient care metrics like waiting lists and A&E times.

Karin Smyth, the minister for secondary care, stated that NHS staff are essential and deserve respect. She described the reported levels of racism, violence, and sexual harassment as unacceptable and noted the lack of formal accountability for employers to address these problems. She added that these new standards, part of a 10-year plan, will change this by measuring and publishing how trusts treat their employees, as supported staff lead to better patient care.

According to the most recent NHS staff survey, hundreds of thousands of NHS staff have faced attacks, harassment, bullying, or racism. Additionally, about 10% of NHS workers, a third of ambulance staff, and over 10% of nurses and midwives reported experiencing unwanted sexual behaviour in the past year.

A recent investigation also highlighted significant increases in violence and sexual misconduct within the NHS over the last three years. Experts have welcomed the new performance measures but are questioning how quickly staff will see improvements in their daily work environment. They believe that the NHS cannot provide high-quality care if staff do not feel safe, valued, and supported.

Some healthcare leaders are calling for stronger enforcement of these new standards. They suggest that if abuse levels do not decrease, more nurses will leave the NHS, which they consider a significant loss. There is also a call for a national, independent, and anonymous system for NHS staff to report incidents without fear of negative consequences, ensuring concerns are handled fairly and with care.