Following disturbing discoveries from a recent workplace safety report, the Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board requires a robust overhaul of its systems and procedures. This was the advice given to the Board members by the local authority in their recent workplace audit.
The report laid bare worrying statistics around violence in the workplace, as well as systemic administrative and occupational incompetencies and set out robust solutions.
Serious concerns for safety
Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board members received the detailed occupational health report at a Board meeting in early November. The report warned of serious concerns regarding the welfare of staff and advised Board members they could be liable for legal action and fines.
Statistical data showed a worrying uptick of workplace violence in hospitals, year on year. The report advised that a seismic shift in leadership and workplace culture is urgently required to successfully solve the issues set out in the report.
Over the past three or four years there has been a persistent increase in the number of cases of violence that staff have experienced at hospitals operated by the Betsi Cadwaladr health board. For example, since 2017, there has been a steady annual increase, over 100 cases per year. In 2017 there were 1,776 violent incidents reported towards staff. In 2019 there were 2,257. The concerns continued. In the first quarter of 2020, the number of staff members injured in workplace violence was already up 10% from 2019.
The report expressed strong concern for workplace safety, providing worrying data showing steadily increasing instances of workplace violence across all areas, such as a doubling in twelve months of staff sustaining injury as a result of workplace stress (physical and mental). All lines of reporting including patient aggression, hospital security and RIDDOR have increased incidents of workplace violence.
Significant compliance issues
In addition to data detailing workplace violence in North Wales, the report presented some shocking findings regarding legislative compliance. There were only three pieces of legislation where the hospital was completely compliant, thirteen cases of partial compliance and a worrying fifteen cases where there was non-compliance. Areas of major concern included the lack of information and training available for workplace safety, mental health, security, hygiene, chemical and waste disposal and site management.
Local experts and authorities echoed the issues and concerns detailed in the report. Sue Green, a director from Betsi Cadwaladr’s workforce and development, delivered her report in 2019. Green’s report set out similarly robust solutions and a total overhaul of current operating systems in Wales, in order to weed out the underlying, long-standing issues.
Extra funds needed
Board members such as Lucy Reid advised that the report had served to highlight areas requiring attention such as updating operating systems to include hierarchical accountability, in addition to implementing systems such as those supporting a safe workplace. The board advised that there is a recruitment drive underway to attract occupational health and safety personnel and that they needed access to additional funding to implement changes and provide adequate training for staff.
