London's hospitals top abuse league

The acute trusts where employees suffer the highest rates of bullying and harassment have vigorously defended their record on protecting staff.

The NHS staff survey, published last week, revealed shocking rates of violence and aggression against NHS staff. The figures appear far higher than the national statistics on violence in the workforce.

One in six said they had been physically assaulted in the past year, while 37 per cent of NHS staff had experienced harassment, bullying or abuse at work.

Most of them had suffered abuse at the hands of patients or relatives but a significant minority had been harassed, bullied or abused by a manager (7 per cent) or a colleague (11 per cent).

London acute hospitals topped the league of tough places to work, with more than half of Chelsea and Westminster Healthcare trust staff experiencing some form of violence or aggression in the previous 12 months (see table).

Chelsea and Westminster director of human resources Krystyna Ruszkiewicz said the trust was 'surprised' at the results, as it had 'some of the best recruitment and retention rates in London'.

'We believe we have developed a culture where members of staff feel they are able to raise any concerns about bullying and harassment. The findings are being discussed with the staff side, who are also surprised and concerned.'

Homerton University Hospital trust foundation project director Pauline Brown said the trust was disappointed that 48 per cent of staff had suffered some form of violence and aggression, despite extra CCTV cameras and the introduction of personal alarms.

'Unfortunately, as in many inner city deprived areas, there is a small minority who make life very difficult for us.'

Margaret Boltwood, director of human resources and corporate affairs at Whittington Hospital trust, where 46 per cent of staff reported bullying, harassment or abuse, said it was important to look at management's willingness to act.

'Being a hospital in a large conurbation is bound to affect staff experience.We perform well when it comes to staff confidence in the trust's ability to treat these incidents seriously and take effective action.'

A spokesperson for South Manchester University Hospitals trust said staff training and an open reporting culture had ensured it was among the 10 best performers on violence at work.

The Commission for Health Improvement survey found many incidents went unreported because a majority of staff were unconvinced that management would take effective action.

Sarah Scobie, assistant director of CHI's office for information on healthcare performance, said CHI would be doing more analysis into why staff in some areas appeared to suffer greater levels of abuse. 'The gap between the extremes is quite big, ' she added.

The survey, thought to be the largest single workplace survey ever undertaken, involved 203,911 employees across all trusts. The NHS scored well on training, with almost 90 per cent of respondents having received some form of training, learning and development in the previous year.

Job satisfaction was also high, with 75 per cent saying they were generally satisfied with their job, despite high levels of reported stress and overtime.

Fight club: the best and worst trusts for staff abuse

Trusts with highest recorded rates of bullying, harassment or abuse in previous 12 months:

Chelsea and Westminster Healthcare trust

Homerton University Hospital trust

Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals trust

Ealing Hospital trust

Newham Healthcare trust

Whittington Hospital trust

Princess Alexandra Hospital trust

Hinchingbrooke Health Care trust

North Middlesex University Hospital trust

Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre Hospitals trust

Trusts with lowest rates of recorded bullying, harassment or abuse:

Rotherham General Hospitals trust

University Hospital of North Staffordshire trust

Buckinghamshire Hospitals trust

Royal Devon and Exeter Healthcare trust

South Manchester University Hospitals trust

Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh trust

Bedford Hospital trust

Chesterfield and North Derbyshire Royal Hospital trust

East Cheshire trust

Salisbury Health Care trust