New standards designed to improve working conditions for nurses and other NHS staff in England have been unveiled by the government.
They represent the first-ever staff standards to tackle racism, violence and sexual safety, said the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) today.
“NHS staff are the backbone of our health service, and they deserve to be treated with dignity and respect”
Karin Smyth
The government highlighted that trusts would be formally accountable for how they treated their workforce on six key areas covered under the NHS staff standards.
These areas are violence prevention and reduction, championing sexual safety, tackling racism, promoting flexible working, line management, and health and wellbeing support.
Examples of the standards include that staff should expect that their line manager listens to them and takes their concerns seriously, and treats them fairly, with respect and compassion.
Under the standards, staff should also expect their organisation to “actively protect” their health, safety and wellbeing at work and be accountable for it at board level.
In addition, staff should have accessible reporting systems to help them report any incidence of violence, and also have access to high quality, post-incident psychological and welfare support.
They should also be able to work in an environment where they are not subject to any form of sexual abuse, harassment or inappropriate comments and that they feel safe in their workplace.
Robust staff policies should be in place, so individual staff “do not suffer any detriment” as a result of reporting any concerns about inappropriate sexual behaviour.
Meanwhile, staff should be able to work in an inclusive team environment where they are treated fairly, are listened to and have their concerns taken seriously, the standards said.
NHS staff should expect there to be “clear consequences” for racist behaviour, whether that’s from patients, their relatives or colleagues.
How trusts perform on meeting the new standards will also be measured, said the DHSC, with “clear action taken when they are not being delivered”.
“The standards set a minimum expectation, but this is just the starting point – we plan to refine them, and the way we measure against them, in future years,” it said.
The new standards have been developed by the DHSC in partnership with NHS England, NHS trade unions and staff representatives through the Social Partnership Forum.
The government highlighted that, officially, the NHS has a zero-tolerance policy towards racism and violence against staff or patients.
Nevertheless, it noted that in the most recent Staff Survey, workers reported unacceptable levels of racism and violence against them, including sexual violence.
For the second consecutive year, the survey showed an increase in the percentage of staff who had personally experienced violence at work from patients, relatives or other members of the public.
Therefore, from this month, trusts in secondary care – including acute hospitals, mental health services, community services and ambulance trusts – will be required to meet the standards.
“Implementing national minimum standards for how healthcare organisations prevent, respond to, and learn from incidents of racism is an essential step forward”
Habib Naqvi
Trusts will be assessed on staff wellbeing through a metric in the NHS Oversight Framework (NOF), directly affecting their overall performance rating alongside existing waiting list and other metrics.
Trust actions like implementing robust violence prevention and acting when concerns are raised are likely to help with staff survey findings and their NOF scores, noted the DHSC.
The DHSC added that, in future, the standards would be refined to ensure “continuous improvement” and would potentially be extended to cover primary care settings.
To support managers in meeting the standards, the government said it was also publishing a new Leadership and Management Framework as part of its NHS College of Leadership and Management.
Announcing the standards, minister for secondary care Karin Smyth said: “NHS staff are the backbone of our health service, and they deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.
“The levels of racism, violence and sexual harassment reported by staff are completely unacceptable, and for too long there has been no formal accountability for employers to address them,” she said.
“These new standards – a 10 Year Health Plan commitment – change that. For the first time, how trusts treat their employees will be measured and published, because we know that when staff are supported, patients get better care.
“This government is determined to make the NHS the best employer it can be, and these standards are a landmark step in delivering on that promise.”
In an exclusive opinion piece for Nursing Times, Ms Smyth stated: “For us to make the NHS fit for the future, we need our staff to feel safe and valued at work.
“When nurses and healthcare workers feel supported and respected, patients get better care,” she added. “That is the simple truth underpinning everything we are doing.”
Helga Pile and Ben Morrin, co-chairs of the national Social Partnership Forum, welcomed the introduction of the NHS staff standards and strengthened accountability in this area.
“The standards target the right priorities, and this marked change in accountability and support is what makes this approach different for our staff and members,” they said.
But they said: “The government will need to ensure the new NHS system can provide the right oversight, support and challenge.
“Effective partnership working between employers and trade unions on implementing the standards, should then mean they result in a lasting and improved experience at work for NHS staff.”
Professor Habib Naqvi, chief executive of the NHS Race and Health Observatory, also welcomed the launch of the standards, specifically for tackling racism.
“Our diverse workforce is the backbone of the NHS, delivering outstanding care under pressure. Staff deserve to be valued, supported and protected.
“Yet, for too long, ethnic minority staff have faced compromised safety, inconsistent reporting and inadequate responses,” said Professor Naqvi.
“Implementing national minimum standards for how healthcare organisations prevent, respond to, and learn from incidents of racism is an essential step forward,” he said.
Rebecca Smith, director of staff experience and social partnership at NHS Employers, backed the standards, stating that they came at a pivotal time to improve staff experience in the NHS.
She said: “The 10 Year Health Plan laid out a commitment to develop a new set of staff standards, and we have worked closely with the government, NHS England and staff side unions to make this a reality.
“The framework sets the stage to create working conditions where staff can thrive, helping to improve retention, productivity and the quality of care delivered to patients,” she said.
“The new staff standards strengthen protections against violence, sexual harassment and racism, backed with stronger line management and support, through the new management and leadership framework expected to be published shortly.”
She added: “By clearly defining what staff should expect from their employer, the framework will ensure all staff are treated equally and fairly, while embedding best practice across the health service.”
“We will support and encourage employers to review their current practices in partnership with their local trade unions against the staff standards and to take action where needed – and whenever possible exceed the standards set out in the framework.”
Timeline on the topic of violence and aggression
