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Assaulted at work (healthcare sector)

57 replies

Perimenopausalprincess · 07/12/2024 04:09

Hi

Looking for help or advice.
Has anyone been in the unfortunate position of being a member of staff who has had to put up with vile comments from male patients and despite reporting has fallen on deaf ears?
Sadly things escalated quite quickly and I've had to work solely alone with a gentleman who has now taken things too far and it's turned to sexual assault. I've reported it via the correct paperwork and channels but despite a couple of colleagues backing me up as they've also had first hand encounters, it's not being addressed as perhaps it should and tbh it's not even being addressed. Not one member of staff above my grade has asked if I'm ok or spoken to me even though they've read the reports and incident logs. I have just been told to ignore the man involved by another staff member to protect myself and have no further dealings, this isn't ideal as other female members of staff are now having to work alone with personal care and bathing of this man which is putting them at risk

Not told my husband and I feel so bad for not but I can't let him know as he will be too worried and his health is poor at the moment otherwise I would have just walked out of work and never returned but desperately need the job as it's our sole income at the moment.

Not mentioned on this post how it's effecting me but I'm in bits just writing this as it's really knocked me sick having to go through this when we should be safe at work and clearly not. Had it not have been a work incident it would be a police matter for sure.
Not sure what I'm asking tbh just maybe that it's not acceptable and an idea of where to turn for help or to report the incident to somewhere external (ideally not police)

Thanks for your time whoever is reading

OP posts:
Offredismysister · 07/12/2024 14:53

Also, if no one has already mentioned, the trust you work for should have an AVH policy (aggression, violence & harrassment) & should be doing a risk assessment prior to any staff member caring for this person. They can issue a warning or even withdraw care. A specific union rep that is clued up on health & safety would be good to support you if possible. My last trust (community) were so hot on this due to the number of sexual & physical assaults by patients & also a few dog attacks!

I do hope you are ok, please look after yourself.

NoYouDidnt · 07/12/2024 15:34

Perimenopausalprincess · 07/12/2024 08:34

İ wish it was just being the odd word or sworn at but sadly the level of sexual assault was unwarranted and inexcusable. He knows 100% what he's doing and is getting kicks out of it. He's a tall strong man that will seriously raise the risk level of sexual violence if this gets whitewashed which I'm worried is going to happen it will end up whitewashed until it's too late and some woman on low wage will never recover from mentally whilst just trying to do a job. I do have a thick skin but I also have a very fine line and sexual assault crosses that line.

My sister worked in care homes for years and knows all to well about the thick skin needed, she ended up having a mental breakdown after having a deal with a similar situation. It's not ok at all and even in men who don't know what they're doing, it's still not ok to just expect women to grow a skin thick enough to cope with regular sexual assault and just get on with it.

It was during Covid and lockdowns when my sister started being assaulted, she works in a residential mental health place and the residents aren't always some frail old man she can easily fight off if needed, staffing was already an issue and because if the isolating rules and covid it became even worse, her manager told her to "just ignore him" and was also told that maybe it's not the job for her if she's gonna take it personally. She'd already spent two decades putting up with groping and sexual comments from some people, being called names, being hit and slapped sometimes, but the level of sexual violence one man used was totally different and she feared she, or one of her coworkers, or other vulnerable residents would be raped. Thats the level of sexual violence that was happening and she's since learnt it happens in many places.

She needed the job and can't "just ignore" a patient and not provide care, she can't just ignore a man trying to pin her against the wall, she can't ignore a man stronger than her ripping at her clothes and trying to corner her. It's way behind the decades of groping and slapping of her arse or other stuff she'd tolerated.

Every penny of the minimum wage my sister was one was desperately needed to fund basics, she couldn't afford to pay for private therapy and the nhs waits for talking therapy was so long she'd left the job by the time she got her first appointment. It's like nobody wants to address this aspect of the job and look at ways to support care workers (which may actually go a long way to retaining them too) instead a lot of people simply see jt as "maybe you aren't cut for this, find another job" or "they can't help it, you need to just crack on with it".

My sister has since been diagnosed with ptsd, I hardly recognised her for a long time, even when she wasn't at work she was constantly anxious, constantly worrying about female residents and co workers and feel like she should be there to protect the others. She found getting a job in another local care home very hard because her manager had told other managers that my sister was expecting to pick and choose who she cares for. The care industry lost an amazing woman who always went above and beyond for the people she cares for and their families.

I'm sorry you've been sexually assaulted at work and I'm also sorry you're not being supported. My advice would be to keep complaining but also get some mental health support such as therapy that specialises in dealing with sexual assault.

RonSel · 07/12/2024 15:55

My sister has since been diagnosed with ptsd, I hardly recognised her for a long time, even when she wasn't at work she was constantly anxious,

This is why it's really important it's reported in a Datix, recorded as an "incident", risk assessments are done and mitigations put in place so there is a clear paper trail that this is an industrial injury.
If the staff member ends up off sick or unable to work they may be entitled to compensation from the employer who failed to keep them safe

MissMoneyFairy · 07/12/2024 16:10

The RCN have Wings support and advice for workplace injury and illness. Maybealso look at temporary injury payment, we don't know what happened here.

Zinglenibber · 07/12/2024 16:26

My mother was a nurse in the 60s and was sexually assaulted by a patient. She went straight to the matron about it, and the matron immediately walked over to the patient's bed and slapped his face, telling him not to do that to any of her nurses ever again. He didn't do it again whilst on that ward. I'm not condoning violence, but assaulting nurses and carers did not used to be tolerated.

I'm sorry you experienced such unacceptable behaviour from both patient and staff Perimenopausalprincess.

lizzyBennet08 · 08/12/2024 00:29

My 90
Year fill with dementia has started inappropriately commenting to female staff. Innuendo even and just generally creepy behaviour. The staff are aware and just generally ignore him.
Honestly if it's a similar situation I don't think you'll get much recourse. It's just a wires behaviour.

MrsCarson · 09/12/2024 14:07

Perimenopausalprincess · 07/12/2024 14:02

Will try to respond to several comments at once so bear with me. Trying to reply without giving away Too much information that would out my workplace or myself or this man.

Basically short version.

  • yes I was physically sexually assaulted
  • He has full capacity (he's not in my place of work as a patient due to his dementia)
  • He knows full well what he's doing
  • No proper hangovers ever, staff can't leave quick enough. İf it's not documented on the computer or in files it's not happened and nobody knows anything. The place isn't ran as it should be
  • I'm newly qualified nurse so new to this nurse position and this environment (private sector)
  • Be lucky to get two staff members at any given time, let alone two to one patient sadly. İf an emergency happened we would be closed down.
  • This man has most likely been a predator for some time so will be doing a lot of digging.
  • Management on the whole haven't responded or acknowledged whatsoever

Due to this update I would recommend you apply to new jobs where they run the facility properly.
Qualified nurses are in high demand you should have no problem.
Pick somewhere that does a proper handover for each shift change and keeps there records correctly updated for each patient, and support their staff as they should.
Maybe this place needs reporting. Contact CQC (Care quality commission) they can go in and do a spot inspection without letting anyone know they are coming.

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