Survey prompts calls for better support for female staff

The Health and Care Women Leaders Network of the NHS Confederation has warned that stress and exhaustion from the coronavirus crisis threatens to intensify burnout among women working in the NHS.

According to the survey, the pandemic had amplified alleged bullying, sexism and racism on the part of managers, while one in four of the women responding to the survey said that they did not feel safe sharing personal concerns with their boss. This was especially true for staff from a minority ethnic background, who also reported feeling traumatised by the disproportionate impact of the virus.

The Health and Care Women Leaders Network also revealed that 72 per cent reported that their job was having a greater negative impact than usual on their emotional well-being, with more than half reporting a negative impact on their physical health.

The survey, carried out in June, two months after the national peak in hospital admissions, has caused health leaders to raise concerns about burnout among female staff – who make up more than three-quarters of the NHS workforce.

The Health and Care Women Leaders Network makes 10 recommendations, including calling for managers to support workers who want to speak up about personal concerns in relation to the pandemic, while being mindful that minority ethnic workers may find it particularly difficult and should be able to go through alternative channels.

It also recommended that staff should be discouraged from working unpaid overtime and encouraged to maintain good work-life boundaries, and that requests to work flexible or reduced hours should always be accommodated unless there are exceptional reasons.