Bullying of nurses and midwives linked to under-staffing

A steep rise in bullying of nurses and midwives is being linked to the pressures caused by understaffing in the health service.

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation says it is dealing with 25-30 incidents of bullying at any one time. The issue is taking up half of the time of its officials, who have represented both those making allegations and colleagues who are the subject of bullying complaints.

The union has commissioned the National University of Ireland, Galway and the National College of Ireland to carry out a nationwide study of the profession with the aim of establishing the extent to which bullying is affecting the working lives of nurses.

INMO director of industrial relations Phil Ni Sheaghdha said the union wanted to find out what was driving the upsurge of investigations in which it was currently involved. "We believe it is not unconnected to staffing level and the general busyness of a high-stress working environment."

While the Health Service Executive operates a policy on bullying and harassment in the workplace, the INMO says nurses and midwives continue to experience workplace bullying with negative consequences for their personal health and relationships.

Prof Maura Sheehan of NUI Galway, who is leading the study, said focus groups held with nurses revealed "shocking and very disturbing" levels of bullying.

“As researchers, it became clear that we need to conduct a survey of nurses and midwives to establish the extent of this problem and most importantly, to formulate recommendations on how bullying at work can be reduced and the type of support that victims and witnesses need.”