Survey reveals more than one in four NT Health staff were bullied at work in past 12 months

The results of an internal Territory government survey have revealed a host of concerning statistics about the safety and satisfaction of NT Health staff.

MORE than one in four NT Health staff say they have been bullied in the workplace during the past 12 months, the results of an internal Territory Government survey conducted prior to the department’s current staffing crisis reveal.

The results of the People Matter survey conducted in February and March this year reveal 514 of the 1931 Health Department staff who responded had experienced bullying in the past year.

Another 26 reported having been sexually harassed and 158 of those surveyed said they had been both bullied and harassed at work during the past year, while a further 152 said they “prefer not to say”.

More than a third of respondents said they had witnessed bullying or sexual harassment in that time with 156 submitting formal complaints and 256 people saying the abuse caused them to take time off work.

Just over half those surveyed said people recruited to the department seemed to have the right skills for the job and less than half said they thought recruitment and promotions were merit based.

Only 51 per cent of respondents said they thought senior management had a clear vision for the future while just 59 per cent said senior managers seemed to consider their wellbeing important.

The results throw a spanner in the works of a recent recruitment drive kicked off in a bid to plug gaps that have led to repeated “code yellow” staffing shortages at Royal Darwin Hospital.

Health Minister Natasha Fyles. Picture: Julianne Osborne

But Health Minister Natasha Fyles said the government “value(s) the fantastic work of our frontline health workers” and the recruitment program was on track.

“We have been working on the priority recruitment of 43 new nurses — and this week they commenced work at Royal Darwin Hospital,” she said.

“In addition, five nurses have started training in the Mental Health Upskilling Program. This is a dedicated intensive program which will provide nurses with a specialty in the mental health space.”

Ms Fyles said the government would “continue to back” its nurses, doctors and medical practitioners who were under increased pressure during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Our main focus is to fill nursing positions in the psychiatry, emergency and perioperative fields,” she said.

“NT Health will continue to engage in ongoing recruitment campaigns to recruit more health workers in the Territory.

“We are also on track to recruit the first round of more than 200 graduate nurses and midwives from as early as January next year.”

Originally published as Survey reveals more than one in four NT Health staff were bullied at work in past 12 months