A Bedford based healthcare provider has been fined after it failed to act on concerns raised by an occupational health nurse.Southwark Crown Court was told how on 28 June 2014 an employee, Lynne Betts, raised concerns with the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) relating to the running of the internal occupational health service of Ramsay Health Care (UK) Operations Ltd.
The HSE investigation found the company failed to appoint sufficient occupational health professionals to run the service, which compromised the health and safety of its employees, patients and general members of the public, putting them at risk of suffering ill health or of acquiring an infection. HSE served four Improvement Notices as part of the investigation.
The investigation into the concerns also found that Ramsay Health Care (UK) Operations Ltd had failed to provide adequate health surveillance for its workers, and as a consequence, a nurse working at Boston West Hospital, Lincolnshire, was diagnosed with occupational dermatitis on 12 January 2015. The condition later spread from her hands to her arms and legs.
Ramsay Health Care (UK) Operations Ltd of Hassett Street, Bedford pleaded guilty to breaching Sections 2(1) and 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and were fined £550,000 with costs of £36,320.44.
Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Emma Page said: “Healthcare providers should be aware of their legal duty to protect the health and safety of their employees as well as their patients and service users. HSE will not hesitate to hold those accountable who do not fulfil their legal obligations.”
In this episode of the Safety & Health Podcast, ‘Burnout, stress and being human’, Heather Beach is joined by Stacy Thomson to discuss burnout, perfectionism and how to deal with burnout as an individual, as management and as an organisation.
We provide an insight on how to tackle burnout and why mental health is such a taboo subject, particularly in the workplace.
