Third-party bullying and harassment from residents, relatives, visitors, and professionals

Bullying and harassment in care settings does not only come from colleagues. Staff can be subjected to racist remarks from relatives, threats from visitors, degrading behaviour from visiting professionals, or distressing actions from residents. While care work involves emotional labour, abusive behaviour should not be accepted as part of the job.

Important distinctions

• Resident behaviour may have clinical or communication causes: for example dementia, delirium, pain, fear, or confusion.
• Staff safety still matters: concerning behaviour requires a planned response, clear records, review, and appropriate support.
• Relatives and visitors are accountable: discriminatory or threatening behaviour should be challenged and managed through the service's process.
• Professionals can bully too: this can include contempt, humiliation, or dismissive treatment of care staff concerns.

Health and safety guidance for health and social care is clear: staff should not accept violent or aggressive behaviour as a normal part of the job. Abuse, threats, or assault connected to work should be reported and used to improve risk assessments, staffing and lone-working arrangements, care plans, visitor boundaries, and post-incident support.

Third-party abuse should not be normalised. Even when behaviour has clinical, emotional, or family-context drivers, staff still deserve a safe, recorded, and supported response.