What is the challenge your project is going to address and how does it connect to the theme?

Bullying, harassment, abuse and discrimination are behaviours that make colleagues feel intimidated, undervalued and have a negative impact on emotional wellbeing. Everyone is entitled to work in a safe and nurturing environment, free from intimidation (bullying, harassment), abuse and discrimination.

There is a plethora of evidence supporting better patient health outcomes in inclusive and nurturing cultures where colleagues are able to perform and care at their best. Ultimately this will result in a culture of positive civility and in the trust workplace, which is synonymous with saving lives.

Current systems in situ for reporting bullying, harassment, abuse, discrimination and other concerns are not 100% confidential, allowing for biases and repercussions. Colleagues currently have to discuss their harrowing experiences in person, with someone they may not know, or trust. Underreporting of such events is anecdotally evident with colleagues reporting they feel ‘no action’ will be taken.

What does your project aim to achieve?

An electronic reporting system, via a mobile application would:

1. Provide access to a safe, trusted, and easy-to-use reporting tool for ALL colleagues 24/7, 365 days a year on and off site.
2. Give colleagues a place to document adverse lived events, such as undesirable/inappropriate behaviours, without the fear of judgement, repercussion or confidentiality being broken.
3. Provide data, collected confidentially and non-judgementally. This can be used for the purpose of analysis, benchmarking and improvement such as detecting departments / areas within the trust that require closer review.
4. Improving the working environment, creating safe, positive, caring conditions. This will lend it self to improved patient experience and positive clinical outcomes.
5. Be a powerful tool to attract, recruit and retain staff, all of which also has a direct impact upon the quality of services.
6. Provide signposting and access to resources and personal wellbeing.

How will the project be delivered?

The project will be delivered between the Improvement & Transformation Team and the Project Management Office. It will form just one of many components of the “At Our Best” initiative. Established in 2020, this is an ambitious and far reaching programme of work to deliver multiple projects across the organisation.

We will continue to work with our Trust Information Technology team; Communications Team; Equality, Diversity and Inclusion teams; Your Voice – our colleague engagement forum; and staff networks (LGBTQ+, BME & Long Term Conditions). This will help to to ensure that the final product is suitable, accessible and supported by all relevant teams within the Trust.

The web-app development will be sourced once the final design and engagement across teams has been approved. We intend to utilise an external agency to develop the reporting app, finances dependent.

How is your project going to share learning?

The project will be presented regionally and nationally, as an abstract and poster presentation, of the draft proposal accepted at Health Education England’s Future Leaders Conference, March 2022. Additionally, we will:

1.      Share anonymised lived experiences within the Trust including: weekly Team Talk, recruitment channels, social media, trust bulletins and newsletters.

2.      We are going to collaborate with our Service Knowledge Analyst. We will share our continuous learning to influence our improvement strategy and embed it within the governance structure.

3.      We will share our learning with:

a.      The Q community

b.      Any organisations under the West Yorkshire ICS and also the Humber, Coast & Vale ICS

c.      Developing Improvement Network, Chartered Institute of Personnel Development and Chartered Management Institute who we have strong links with

d.      The Harrogate & Rural Alliance

e.      The Improvement Academy

f.       NHS Fab Stuff website

g.      Locally, regionally and nationally at conferences

h.      The West Yorkshire Health and Care Alliance