Majority of NHS Trusts do not offer training to prevent sexual harassment, study finds

The majority of NHS Trusts do not provide training to prevent sexual harassment, a survey has found.

New figures show that fewer than one in five trusts in England provide specific training to deal with harassment, racism and bullying at work.

Experts have accused the health service of failing to address the problem, describing the numbers as “deeply concerning”.

Researchers at the University of Cambridge analyzed data from freedom of information requests (FOI) sent to 213 NHS Trusts in England.

Of the 199 who responded, only 35 said they offered “active bystander” training, which encourages individuals to recognize and respond to bad behavior.

Participation was voluntary for most.

And only five Trusts said their training addressed sexual harassment in some form, while the remaining 30 said their training taught participants to only challenge antisocial behavior in a general context.

In 2019, a Unison survey found that 8 percent of healthcare worker respondents had experienced sexual harassment at work in the past 12 months, with more than half of these acts committed by colleagues.

Dr. Sarah Steele from Cambridge Public Health and Jesus College, said: ‘The NHS is not using a very effective training tool to deal with workplace harassment, sexual harassment and other forms of unacceptable behavior such as bullying and racism.

‘It’s a tool well used by the military, universities and teachers, and even promoted by the UN and the British government.

‘We found low use of active bystander training at NHS Trusts in England, particularly outside London, and very little of the training offered focused on sexual harassment. This is very concerning given the ongoing problem of sexual harassment in the healthcare sector.

“Organizations should encourage active bystander training from the very first days of undergraduate degrees through the day of retirement. Without this, the issues of sexual harassment will continue to be a problem in the NHS and wider society.’

Last month, a damning report revealed that dozens of rapes and assaults take place in hospitals every week.

Statistics published by the Women’s Rights Network showed that 6,500 attacks had been reported in just three years.

Founder Heather Binning said the numbers are “just the tip of the iceberg” and that hospitals have almost become a “market for sex offenders.”

Commenting on the new FOI figures, Kate Davies, the NHS director of commissioning of sexual assault services, said: ‘We will work with the government and other partners to ensure the NHS is a safe space for all staff and patients – local services may not tolerate sexual acts. misconduct, violence, harassment or abuse – it is totally unacceptable.

“All NHS Trusts and organizations must take robust steps to ensure immediate action is taken in cases reported to them, and we encourage anyone who has experienced misconduct or violence to come forward, report it and get help. search – there is support and care for everyone who needs it.

“Preventing these attacks is a priority first and foremost and we have a work program dedicated to this and have appointed our first national clinical leader to drive action – together we must do everything we can to keep staff and patients in our services safe. .’

The findings were published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine.