Four more Blackpool Vic nurses call time on ‘horrific’ bullying which pushed them to brink of suicide

Two female members of staff said the bullying was so severe that they had considered suicide, while others had quit their jobs in protest.

They were allegedly ‘systematically’ subjected to cruel and insensitive comments, bombarded by phonecalls outside of working hours, humiliated in front of peers, and threatened with dismissal on a regular basis.

A number of staff were allegedly forced to take time off work due to stress and depression as a result of the bullying, and were under intense pressure to return.

READ: Blackpool Victoria Hospital nurse calls out 'toxic' bullying which left staff 'physically shaking' with fear

One former nurse, who resigned from her position after more than 20 years, tearfully said: “It was terrible. I used to cry a lot at the end of my time there. There were grown women crying at their desks. Every time you got asked to come to a meeting you’d feel a deep feeling of dread.

"My husband thought I was going to throw myself off the pier. If I hadn’t changed jobs, I don’t know what I would have done.

"It makes me sad. When I started my training I was so proud to be a nurse; I have always worked in Blackpool and I stayed at the Vic all that time. I never believed I would have to leave and start another job at lower pay and start again, because I couldn’t carry on. I couldn’t survive another year under that management. I feel really badly let down.”

Another nurse, who also left her job due to the alleged bullying, said: “I was treated like a nobody. The sister on the ward I worked on would call me into her office and tell me that nobody liked me. She was playing so much on my mental wellbeing that I ended up hating myself and hating my job.

"After so much struggling with my mental health due to bullying, at one point I wanted to give up on nursing. I could not see myself continuing as a nurse.

"I was told nobody liked me, that I didn’t know how to do my job, that nobody trusted me. I felt like a failure.

"I’m overweight, and a manager once called me into her office and tried to make me buy diet food supplements her friend was selling. It put me down so much I could hardly finish my shift.

"At one point I did make a complaint about a sister who was bullying me, and to this day she is still working at the hospital. If they have experience and a high position, nobody can touch them.”

Another staff member said many people working at the hospital had given up on making complaints, as they were ‘shoved under the carpet’.

“It’s awful. It’s horrific. I hate my job, but I can’t do anything about it. It’s either put up with it and live in hell, or not have a career,” she said. “If you knew what was going on behind closed doors, people would think very differently of the NHS.”

Another ex-nurse said: “I’m unfortunately another victim of bullying and harassment at the Vic and along with that I had also experienced some elements of racism and racial discrimination. However when I decided to stick up for myself and take this further I received no support whatsoever.

"I battled for months and struggled with anxiety and depression.

"Reading the whistleblower’s words has been like reading my own words in the statement I made at the time, and there’s no better word to describe it than toxic.”

An investigation into the allegations is currently ongoing at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. A spokesman for the Trust said: “The Trust would never comment on any ongoing investigation involving staff, patients or their families to ensure its integrity remains intact and that everyone is treated fairly and openly until a conclusion can be reached.”

A recent CQC inspection, carried out in January, rated Blackpool Victoria Hospital as ‘inadequate’ overall. The report said: “Not all staff felt supported, respected and valued by their local leaders. There was a lack of supportive inclusion for staff with protected characteristics.

"The Trust was working towards an open culture where patients, their families and staff could raise concerns without fear. However, not all staff felt secure to raise concerns. The trust had work to do in relation to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion in daily work.”

Chief Executive Trish Armstrong-Child, who took over the Trust in September last year, said: “I am committed to creating an organisation that values and actively encourages people to raise issues and help to resolve them and I believe that having open and honest conversations is one of the most important things we can do.

“It is a simple approach but if something doesn’t feel right, if people are uncomfortable with something they see or hear, they should know they can call it out immediately and there are a range of ways to do this, including the independent Freedom to Speak Up team.

“I consider that when people feel safe to raise concerns, that can only be a good thing and creates a positive culture. Our staff are our greatest asset and I want everyone to feel they have a voice.”

But a former member of the Trust said bullying was ‘rife’ at the hospital.

"The alleged bullying is systematic from top-down,” he said. “The leadership isn’t interested in looking into it. I have seen staff crying because they have been bullied. It’s a top-down problem and no matter how much they use the words care and compassion, it’s just words.

"Many staff feel their careers are jeopardised if they speak out. There are nurses who were there in the 80s who are now saying, not because of Covid-19 but because of how they have been treated by the Vic, that they wish they had never become a nurse.”

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