Nursing Times reports need for culture change regarding UK nurses and nursing students with disabilities

 

Megan Ford reports on an investigation by Nursing Times that found, "More must be done to stamp out unconscious bias and incorrect assumptions about nurses with a disability to ensure workplaces offer a “psychologically safe environment” where staff feel supported, enabled to thrive and can be open about their disabilities."

"More than 52,000 (3.7%) members of the health service workforce in England declared a disability via the NHS Electronic Staff Record in 2021. But a much higher percentage indicated they had a disability through the NHS Staff Survey in 2020, with 20.2% making a declaration."

"Another dataset, used in the annual Workforce Disability Equality Standard (WDES) report, showed the percentage of staff with a disability experiencing harassment, bullying or abuse at work was higher than for staff without a disability; in addition, 31% of staff with a disability felt pressure from their manager to go to work, despite feeling unwell."

"In most cases, their challenges would not come from their condition, but...from how society or employers treat people who share a condition or [have a disability],” she said. “It’s not about whether someone is a wheelchair user, it is about the attitude of those around them to ensure that they are included or have access.”

Read more about these important issues at:

https://www.nursingtimes.net/news/workforce/investigation-culture-change-needed-to-stamp-out-disability-stigma-04-11-2022/?fbclid=IwAR3yx8DXNBArcr4miczqaUCZTLoNMmBcNbBh6zbyOVT9GNBiVUjnZUH8lmg

Cheers!

Donna