Banbury and Oxford hospital staff describe verbal and racist abuse from patients

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (OUH) have mounted a new campaign in an appeal to those using the hospitals to be polite and reasonable to those helping them, whether during telephone calls, in A&E departments or on the wards.

Among the accounts by staff who felt abused was one that said: “Racist abuse can make even the most confident member of staff doubt themselves.”

Another said: “I was lost for words after being racially abused - it made me lose focus and concentration for the rest of the day.

“You’re left with the impact of abusive behaviour. It stays with you beyond your shift and goes home with you.

And another said: “Racist comments always cause negative thoughts. Why would I want to hear horrible things people think about me?”

After one particularly racist comment during a phone call one member of staff said they feeling anxious. “I was worried that the next call would be just as bad,” they said.

An OUH spokesman said: “We have once again shared stories of abusive behaviour as part of the Trust’s ongoing ‘No Excuses’ campaign, with a particular focus on racist and sexual abuse. The campaign, launched in 2022, was put in place following concerns that aggressive behaviour towards OUH staff was increasing."

The trust said that as well as a public-facing campaign - where people are reminded that the Trust has a zero-tolerance approach to aggressive and abusive behaviour - there has also been an ongoing internal campaign complete with a multidisciplinary working group, tailored guidance documents for staff when dealing with abusive behaviour, and additional support from colleagues.

Paula Gardner, Interim Chief Nursing Officer at OUH, said: “The health, wellbeing, and safety of our staff is of absolute importance to us. All our staff should feel safe and free from abuse at work. Abuse takes several forms, and we know from speaking to our staff that it’s not always overt displays of aggression or violence that have the biggest impact – the smaller, day-to-day incidents can have a long-lasting effect.

“We are committed as a trust to making OUH a safe place to work, and to making our staff’s working lives better. The diversity of our OneTeamOneOUH is one of is greatest strengths and we will not tolerate any racist abuse.

"We have also signed up to the national Sexual Safety in Healthcare Charter, which was launched following concerns about an escalation of sexual abuse in the NHS. Here at OUH, we have signed up to this charter in a demonstration of our commitment to a zero-tolerance approach to any unwanted, inappropriate, or harmful sexual behaviours towards our people.

She said: “While our campaign has been well-received, we know that this behaviour is an ongoing issue – especially in light of ongoing industrial action over the past year. We will do all that we can to support and care for our staff – and we hope these stories give people pause and realise the impact that abusive behaviour can have.”