BASILDON Hospital has been urged to tackle staff concerns about safety and crime after nurses claimed that “colleagues have been robbed a few times”. 

A new research report by Anglia Ruskin University has been published to help understand the experiences of staff at Basildon Hospital.

Researchers carried out in-depth interviews with 30 members of staff to help give an insight into life at the hospital. 

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As a result, they have provided several recommendations to help improve the wellbeing of staff.

This included establishing a welcome and buddying system for all new staff, addressing staff concerns about safety and crime when travelling to work, and increasing opening times of staff restaurants and shop so they don’t have to go into town in the dark.

A number of staff members, whose surnames are protected for data reasons, raised concerns at the fear of crime around the area, visibility of homelessness, poor pedestrian lighting and drug and alcohol abuse on the streets.

One nurse, Amy, said: “I think this is the highest crime rate area. Safety-wise especially, ‘if you are in a wrong place in a wrong time, you are a victim’. My colleagues, a couple of them, got robbed a few times.”

Another nurse, June, added: “I am worried because they are telling me of some crimes here. I am worried when the winter comes and it’s already dark when we come in to work.

Another nurse, called Stella, has seen the impact of the crimes in the area first hand.
She added: “We see probably the worst of society working in A&E, so there is always that concern regarding drugs and regarding stabbing and these kinds of things.”

Dr Oonagh Corrigan, senior research fellow and co-lead for the study at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), said: “This report aims to provide a voice for those who not only work at the hospital but are also citizens of Basildon and the surrounding areas.

“We present their narratives about their experiences at home, in the community and at work.

“Participants reveal their experiences of Basildon as a place and, most importantly, of their relationships and connections with others as colleagues, citizens, family and informal carers.”

A number of participants also spoke of their exhaustion, feeling burnout, and staff shortages.

One nurse said: “I do know there are a lot more staff shortages, I think now than we had pre-Covid, but if I am honest people are tired. There is a lot of burnout post-Covid.”

In response to the report, Charlotte Williams, chief strategy, and improvement officer at Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We have the privilege of being one of the largest employers in the region, and in our Anchor Charter, local organisations including the Trust and ARU are committed to ensuring inclusive, healthy workplaces.

“We promised to encourage staff to help us with this agenda, and we commissioned this independent report in 2019 to use the expertise of local academics. 

“We have already taken a range of measures that respond to the report’s recommendations, including discussions with local authorities about travel and street lighting, providing dedicated training for line managers, and food options available to purchase at the hospital in the evenings.”