The Dudley Group recognise that looking after our people is a key priority to ensure that all staff feel safe and supported within the organisation. We take any type of harassment very seriously and the Trust executive team are fully supportive of this work. To demonstrate our commitment the Trust have signed the NHS England sexual safety charter which has ten key pledges to tackle unwanted, inappropriate, and harmful sexual behaviour in the workplace. We all have a responsibility to ourselves, and our colleagues so must act if we witness these behaviours. Following on from an increased awareness nationally about sexual harassment at work, we are trying to establish how much (if at all) of an issue it is at The Dudley Group. Firstly, it is important to note what sexual harassment is, see below definition: Sexual harassment is unwanted behaviour of a sexual nature. The law (Equality Act 2010) protects all employees of the Trust against sexual harassment. To be sexually harassed, the unwanted behaviour must have either: Violated someone's dignity, whether it was intended or not or created an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for them, whether it was intended or not. Anyone has the potential to experience sexual harassment and it can either be a one-off incident or an ongoing pattern of behaviour. Examples include (but are not limited to): - flirting, gesturing or making sexual remarks about someone's body, clothing or appearance - asking questions about someone's sex life - telling sexually offensive jokes - making sexual comments or jokes about someone's sexual orientation or gender reassignment - displaying or sharing pornographic or sexual images, or other sexual content - touching someone against their will, for example hugging them - sexual assault or rape (Source ACAS) We appreciate that this is a sensitive, potentially triggering subject, and there are many outlets where you can get help and support if required (please see links below or the wellbeing page on the Hub for some). In order to establish what the underlying culture here at The Dudley Group is like, we have created this completely anonymous survey to see what your experience is. This could be from personal experience or behaviour you have witnessed. Your answers don't have to be exclusively about Dudley if you have experienced this elsewhere, if you are comfortable to tell us about that as well it will help us build up a broader picture. If we find that there is an issue in the trust, we are very keen that it is addressed, not ignored, creating a positive culture at work is really important to us. The women's network, LGBTQ+ network and equality/diversity team have all advised us in the content of this survey and the senior executives are fully supportive of this work - there is high level agreement that any type of harassment at DGFT is unacceptable. We are available to speak to directly if you wish, as are the Freedom to Speak Up Guardians - April Burrows and Philippa Brazier and a number of FTSU Champions, whose names and contact details can be found on the Hub. We also have an option at the end of the survey for you to put your contact details, if you wish one of us to contact you instead of you contacting us. If you do not fill this in, this survey remains completely anonymous, we have absolutely no way to find out who completed it, and we completely understand that this is how the majority of people who have experienced sexual harassment would prefer it. If you wish to contact one of us directly, please do so at the following email addresses: andrea.gait@nhs.net adele.lackenby@nhs.net rebeccarice1@nhs.net natalie.marsiglio@nhs.net kerry.dunning@blackcountrywomensaid.co.uk Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey. We appreciate it is a difficult thing to speak up about but we are determined that any such behaviour at work is identified and stopped. Andrea Gait (Consultant anaesthetist) Adele Lackenby (Senior ODP) Becky Rice (CT3 anaesthetics) Natalie Marsiglio (CSW) You can also contact the human resources team at the Trust - dgft.generalhrqueries@nhs.net. If you would like to find out who your HR advisor is for your division, please go on the HR hub page for contact details. https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/sexual-health/help-after-rape-and-sexual-assault/ https://www.dudleysafeandsound.org/sexual-assault-and-abuse