A FORMER nurse who worked at Stafford Hospital between 2009 and 2012 has slammed the ‘short-sighted’ management who he said showed ‘complete disdain’ for his staff.
The nurse, who wished to remain anonymous, and has since left trust, told The Newsletter during the two years he spent working in the hospital’s A&E department he saw staff treated poorly and experienced workers leaving in droves because of it.
“The problems at Stafford have always been the short-sighted management and their complete disdain for its own staff,” he said. “I left Stafford hospital last year, and have never looked back.
“I am now in a new role, and am treated with respect and courtesy by a very professional management. I have no idea why the management at Stafford treat their own staff so poorly, but I have an inkling that they blame us - the nurses - for the predicament of the last few years, and are taking a hard line in their treatment of its staff.
“And they wonder why they can't recruit!”
He said he started working in the trust in December 2009 and worked in its beleaguered A&E department in the period between July 2012 and July 2012.
“I have honestly never seen a worse management treatment of its staff.
“A huge number of experienced A&E staff were virtually forced out of their jobs, and most were so ill-treated that they left and went to other trusts,” he said. “In my two years in A&E I would say about 25 experienced staff have left or were forced out.
“I got out, as I was sick of how we were treated.”
He said during his time at the trust, management ‘refused’ to allow staff to work overtime, offering them only the opportunity to work ‘bank’ (working overtime at regular rates of pay)
“When we said "no" to working bank, they would phone Thornbury Nursing Agency, and pay a complete stranger up to £40 an hour plus travelling costs, to work in our department.
“Most of the time, these nurses hadn't worked in A&E before, and they were more of a liability than a help!
“Most of us would have worked overtime if allowed, and it would have cost about half of what the agency nurse cost, and we knew the department and the routines.”
Director of nursing at Stafford Hospital said of the 8, 874 A&E shifts so far in 2012/13 only fifteen had been filled by Thornbury Agency nurses.
“There have been a number of changes over the last 18 months in A&E, all of which have improved the care we can provide for patients,” he said. “Some staff have left and we now have a strong nursing team who work well together, under a new matron for emergency care.”
He said the hospital trust recruited to its values which were to care for people, work together, do the right thing, listen and improve.
“These values should be evident during interview and we will not employ anyone who does not demonstrate these values,” he said.
Mr Ovington said he was ‘delighted’ with the standard and experience of nurses recruited to the A&E department over the last year.
