Hospital staff not happy

A survey among employees at the Conquest revealed that workers were also dissatisfied with their job.

Staff also criticised their bosses for not providing enough hand washing materials at work.

The survey results were published by the Healthcare Commission, the national watchdog, last week.

More than 820 staff from East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust out of a total of 5,000 were sent a questionnaire, of which 372 people replied. The trust runs both the Conquest hospital and Eastbourne DGH. The survey was carried out last autumn.

The organisation was in the highest 20 per cent of hospital trusts for staff experiencing harassment, bullying or abuse from patients or relatives in the previous 12 months, according to the survey.

But hospital bosses came out on top for offering proper health and safety training and staff appraisals.

Monica Green, director of human resources said: "While this report shows where we are doing well, regrettably there are some results that are disappointing in this survey.

"We really value the work our staff are doing especially at this time of increased pressure and we will work with them and managers to develop action plans to address issues identified in the survey.

"We want to improve the working lives of all our staff."