June 11, 2013Up to £200,000 will be made available to health boards to fund projects that tackle bullying and harassment in the workplace, the Scottish Government announced last week.
The cash injection will help expand the ‘dignity at work toolkit’, which aims to ensure that all NHS staff feel valued, are being listened to, and are being treated with respect.
Making the announcement ahead of the ‘Whistleblowing — raising concerns within the NHS Scotland’ conference, Health secretary Alex Neil said: “Across our NHS much has been done to tackle bullying and harassment in the workplace.
“However, feedback suggests that bullying and harassment may still be an issue across our workplace. I am very clear that we will not tolerate bullying of any kind in our NHS. It is not good for our hard-working NHS staff and it is not good for patients.
“Also, it is vitally important that all NHS workers feel that they can raise any concerns they may have safely and confidentially, and following the Francis Inquiry, be reassured that health boards will listen. By encouraging staff to raise concerns, Scotland’s Health Boards have the opportunity to identify potential problems at an early stage.”
A free, confidential phone line for NHS staff who wish to raise any concerns about practices in NHS Scotland is currently being piloted.
The National Confidential Alert Line aims to provide a safe space for staff to discuss and report any concerns they may have about patient safety and malpractice in the knowledge that their identity will be protected.
In February, the Health Secretary wrote to all health boards reminding them that confidentiality clauses are not to be used to prevent staff reporting concerns about practice in the NHS in Scotland.
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Nice article