Employees at one of the country’s largest hospitals described a culture of bullying, pressure to complete substandard work, and some consultants within the department who said they were “able to do whatever they wanted without repercussions.” ” has expressed concern about the assumption that
Staff in Cork University Hospital’s pathology department are also dissatisfied with the amount of personal work being done by consultants, a survey seen by the newspaper has found. This indicates a high level of dysfunction.
The department’s cultural inquiry was commissioned last year following a series of anonymous complaints about conditions at the department.
The department has approximately 100 staff including consultants, scientists, non-consultant physicians and administrative staff.
The investigation by Gravity Consultants was completed last July and was highly critical of some practices.but It is understood that little has changed since then, but last week CUH senior management addressed department officials and promised a shift from the culture cited in the report.
The survey results included the following:
- Concern about the imbalance between public and private work. This story is expressed many times in the report and is claimed to have a significant impact on general workload and stress levels.
- Despite highlighting their lack of comfort, some felt pushed to endorse their competency in tasks or take risks.
- There is a feeling that some people can get away with bad grades, while others can be pulled up for minor infractions.
- Some consultants responded with “strong comments” that “you can do what you want without any repercussions.”
- The communication style of some people in the department is aggressive and yelling occurs regularly.
- This is not sustainable as employees are maxed out and staff are reaching burnout. Phrases like “sinking ship” emphasize this.
In response to a series of questions, CUH issued a statement confirming that a cultural investigation had taken place. “It has been agreed that a cultural survey will be piloted in 2023 as part of planned initiatives to strengthen CUH’s overall attraction and retention strategy.”
The statement did not address the negative aspects of the culture within the department that were highlighted by staff.
“As last week, a new mission, vision and values have been agreed with staff and strategic objectives for the next 12 to 36 months are being developed,” the statement said.