OUH staff share their stories as part of ‘No Excuses’ campaign

Staff working for Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (OUH) have shared their stories of abusive behaviour as part of the Trust’s ongoing ‘No Excuses’ campaign.

The campaign, launched in 2022, was put in place following concerns that aggressive behaviour towards OUH staff was increasing.  In addition to the public-facing campaign, where people were 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.

As the next step of the campaign, staff are sharing their stories of abusive and aggressive behaviour, particularly the lasting impact.

Paula Gardner, Interim Chief Nursing Officer at OUH, said: “The health and wellbeing of our staff is one of the main priorities of our People Plan 2022 - 2025.  All our staff should be entitled to work in a place where they feel safe and free from abuse.

“It is never easy to hear the impact that abusive behaviour has on our staff.  Abuse can take many forms – it’s not just physical violence, verbal aggression can be just as damaging and it can ultimately take a toll on people’s health.”

Staff have also recently reported an increase in verbal aggression over the phone, which is reflected in one of the staff stories.

Paula continued: “The ‘No Excuses’ campaign has been well-received by our staff, however we know that this behaviour is an ongoing issue.  We will continue to work hard to support and care for our staff – and we hope that these stories give people a moment to think and realise the impact that abusive behaviour can have.”