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Press release: NHS Employers supports Ban Bullying at Work Day in the NHS

07 Nov 2006

NHS Employers is today promoting 'Ban Bullying at Work Day' across the NHS as part of its campaign to raise awareness about bullying.

Julian Topping, head of workplace health at NHS Employers, said: "We support Ban Bullying at Work day and have launched a bullying awareness campaign throughout the NHS. We want NHS staff to recognise when they are being bullied and to know what to do about it.

"We have sent campaign packs to every NHS trust in England containing awareness posters, leaflets and wristbands.  Many trusts are telling us that they are organising initiatives at local level to help staff recognise bullying in others and in themselves and to give them advice on how to tackle it.  We are also advising NHS organisations on what action they can, and should, take as employers to eradicate bullying from their workforce.'

Notes for editors

* Ban Bullying at Work Day is 7th November.  The Ban Bullying at Work campaign is being organised by the Andrea Adams Trust, a non-political, non-profit making charity operating as the focus for the diverse and complex problems caused by bullying behaviour in the workplace. Please visit www.banbullyingatwork.com for more information.
* NHS Employers launched its bullying campaign on 16 October
* In the Healthcare Commission's 2005 NHS staff survey,  15% of staff said they had been bullied or harassed by other staff (down from 16% in 2004)
* More than two million people at work in the UK consider themselves as being bullied. The effects of workplace bullying are estimated to be responsible for between one third and a half of all stress related illnesses (UMIST)
* The NHS Employers bullying campaign follows on from last year's campaign on stress. Information about how to recognise and tackle stress is available at www.nhsemployers.org/stress

Contact details

The press office provides a comprehensive service to keep journalists informed about the work of NHS Employers.

If you have a media enquiry, please contact the press office team:

• Gemma Jeffcoate
  0207 074 3308 or gemma.jeffcoate@nhsemployers.org
• Emma Stafford
  0207 074 3307 or emma.stafford@nhsemployers.org

For out of hours media enquiries, please contact the duty press officer on 07880 500726.

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