The BJCA and the BCS have released a statement saying that they want to try and stamp out bullying, discrimination and harassment. They have said that there is a lot of unprofessionalism in the sector right now and that every cardiology member should try and step up to sort this out. Cultural change has to happen and if it doesn’t then this could mean major issues for the future. They have been endorsed by over 19 organisations who are affiliated with the BCS as well. This comes in the wake of evidence that suggests tha the current behaviours are in fact somewhat common in the sector. Even those who come up through a nurse agency, who work with carers or who are seeking care jobs are going to be impacted. Studies have found that those who have come up through a nursing recruitment agency are also affected and this is not good to say the least. It comes as it would appear that there are a lot of longstanding practice issues that are fuelled by previous training and that there seems to be a lot of unconscious bias. Data from the General Medical Training Survey has said that bullying in the cardiology service is double the average of other medical specialities. Bullying has been associated with poor performance and it also means that medical errors are more likely to happen. You have lost productivity and you also have a level of burnt-out absenteeism.

This is not okay, to say the least and it just goes to show that more has to be done to try and make sure that staff are not affected by this more than they should be, or that their performance doesn’t drop because of outdated views or beliefs.