An NHS staff survey has provided concerning statistics regarding stress levels at the Mid Yorkshire Hospital Trust. The survey has shown Mid Yorkshire, which encompasses Pinderfields, Pontefract and Dewsbury hospitals, amongst the worst NHS trusts for employee satisfaction. The survey has produced the following results:
40% of staff had suffered with work related stress in the past year
63% of staff work extra hours
25% of staff had suffered bullying or harassment from other staff members
The 2014 survey has shown little improvement upon the results of the 2013 survey which also showed worrying stress levels amongst NHS staff in the region. David Melia, Mid Yorkshire’s director of staff engagement has stated that the trust are working on a number of initiatives and improvements to create ‘an environment that is pleasant and positive in which staff feel valued.’
It is clear from these results that further improvements need to be made urgently to avoid any detrimental impact on the health of the trust’s workers. Within this role workers are ordinarily subjected to additional stress due to the importance of the work undertaken. However the trust is under a legal duty to mitigate this by providing adequate staffing and ensuring bullying and harassment is taken seriously.
Oakwood Solicitors are specialists in claims for work related stress. If you feel that you are being subjected to excessive stress levels within your employment and feel that you may have a potential claim against your employer please contact us on 0844 499 9302 or email stress@oakwoodsolicitors.co.uk
