One in four nurses are too scared to raise concerns about patient safety, a survey shows.
They describe a ‘culture of intimidation’ at hospitals where whistleblowers are ‘humiliated’ or ‘lambasted’ by managers.
A further one in four said when they had tried to raise concerns their bosses had done nothing to improve care.
Earlier this year a devastating report into one of the worst-ever hospital scandals at Mid Staffordshire described of a culture of fear where nurses left their shifts in tears.
One in four nurses are too scared to raise concerns about patient safety
One nurse, Helene Donnelly, said after raising concerns about horrific standards in the A&E unit she became too afraid to walk to her car after a shift in case she was attacked by colleagues.
Nursing leaders say individuals who try and speak out are ‘bullied’ by managers who are worried they will get them in trouble.
A survey of 8,262 nurses carried out by the Royal College of Nursing found that 46 per cent had tried to raise concerns about patient safety in the last six months.
Of these, 44 per cent said fears of ‘victimisation’ or ‘reprisal’ would make them think twice about whistleblowing in future.
More...
Grandfather 'branded a drama king' by hospital staff died from neglect after bleeding to death
Nurses fear a Mid Staffordshire crisis on their wards because of chronic under-staffing
One nurse who did not want to be named said: ‘There was a culture of intimidation and it seemed normal to humiliate members of staff in front of their colleagues, this led to high staff turn-over and low morale.’
Another nurse, also speaking on the condition of anonymity, said she had recently tried to raise concerns about unsafe staffing levels.
‘I put in an incident form highlighting these concerns. I was lambasted by my manager for putting in an incident form as it would lead to them being questioned by their manager.’
Nursing leaders say individuals who try and speak out are 'bullied' by managers
Fiona Johnson, director of communications at the RCN said: ‘They feel as they will be branded as a troublemaker and their career progression will be damaged.
‘Some of them feel straightforward intimidation and think they will be told off.
‘They feel the weight of the establishment coming down on them.’
In 2009 a nurse was struck off for trying to expose the appalling neglect of elderly and terminally ill patients at a top teaching hospital.
Margaret Haywood had secretly filmed patients being denied pain relief and adequate food and at the Royal Sussex hospital in Brighton for a BBC Panorama documentary in 2005.
But in 2009 she was struck off by the Nursing and Midwifery Council for misconduct and failing to ‘follow her obligations as a nurse.’
She was reinstated six months later following a High Court appeal by the Royal College of Nursing.
But Peter Carter, general secretary of the RCN said her appalling experience still deters nurses from coming forward.
He said: ‘That case went on for months and months and sent huge shock waves through the profession. It is like you raise it and you’re the one who could lose your qualifications.’