Discrimination, bullying and harassment

Discrimination (racism included), bullying and harassment (sexual harassment included) have no place in Australian healthcare; they harm practitioners, raise risk to patients and damage teamwork, and where they affect public safety a Board may act, for example by imposing conditions or accepting an undertaking. Good practice means the practitioner: (a) never engages in, ignores or excuses them; (b) recognises their many forms, among them sexual harassment, physical or verbal abuse, racism, discrimination, violence, aggression, humiliation, pressure on decisions, exclusion and intimidation; (c) recognises that social media can be used to bully or harass and does not engage in, ignore or excuse it; (d) speaks up when seeing it and reports it when appropriate; (e) acts appropriately when in a leadership or management role; (f) escalates concerns if the response is inadequate; (g) refers concerns to the Boards or Ahpra where patients, students, trainees, colleagues or teams face serious or continuing risk, in addition to mandatory notification duties; and (h) supports colleagues who report it.

• Anti-bullying, harassment and discrimination policy with a reporting route
• Register of reports received and actions taken, including escalations
• Leader training records on responding to bullying and sexual harassment
• Record of any referral made to Ahpra about serious or continuing risk

• Reports resolved informally with no record
• Leaders unaware of their duty to act
• Reporter disadvantaged after raising a concern