Milton Keynes hospital workers suffer abuse and harassment

Almost a third of all workers at Milton Keynes hospital experience harassment, bullying or abuse from patients or the public, the Citizen can reveal.

The shameful statistic puts MK among the worst 20 per cent of NHS Trusts in the country.

The staff survey, conducted over the past 12 months, also showed a whopping 59 per cent of hard-working hospital staff feel pressure to attend work when they are feeling unwell.

Now chief executive Joe Harrison has pledged to make life easier for staff under the Trust’s ‘We Care’ initiative.

He has also praised them for their hard work and dedication.

“I am very grateful to those staff who work in what can be a very challenging environment, and who strive to give great care 365 days of the year,” he stated in the Trust’s recent annual report.

The report revealed there has been 395 ‘staff incidents’ during 2015/16 - the equivalent of one or more for every day or the year.

More than 150 of these incidents related to staff experiencing violence or abuse.

The abuse comes from people who have “full understanding of their actions” as well as patients suffering from dementia, says the report.

The remainder of the staff incidents relate to injuries experienced by doctors, nurses and auxiliaries as a result of their work.

These included pricks from needles, cuts from sharp objects and burns as well as a range of slips, trips and falls.

Worryingly, there were ten incidents of staff being exposed to harmful substances such as chemicals or X Ray radiation.