HOSPITAL bosses say urgent action is needed amid 'worsening' bullying and harassment of Asian staff.

Leaders of the Morecambe Bay NHS Trust are stepping up a programme to become anti-racist to better support staff.

According to documents, a survey of staff reported that higher proportions of black and ethnic minority workers had experienced bullying and harassment at the trust.

A report said there had been a 'lack of improvement' on bullying and harassment indicators from 2020 to 2021.

It said a 300 per cent rise in anti-Asian hate crime in UK in 2020/21 was reflected in a 'worsening picture of discrimination, bullying and harassment experienced by Asian colleagues at UHMBT'.

It also said a staff survey highlighted that departments receiving help to improve had higher rates of BAME bullying and harassment, with a 'possible impact' on quality and safety.

Notes for a meeting of the trust's board of directors said: "The board-sponsored improvement programme to develop UHMBT as an anti-racist organisation was agreed in July 2020, with five executive-led task and finish groups established in November 2020 to address priority areas as identified by the workforce race equality standard.

"On September 16 2021 the executive and non-executive leads for these groups met with the race equality transformation lead to recommit, regroup and reflect on progress and outcomes achieved.

"The group noted that though many process actions had been identified by the task and finish groups over the past 10 months, few outcomes had been delivered, in part due to a lack of capacity for execs to lead groups as visibly as planned.

"This chimed with recent Care Quality Commission feedback relating to capacity to deliver sustained improvements at pace.

"The group agreed that a change of approach is required to achieve outcomes, and recognising the pressured landscape of system oversight framework 4 and and Covid winter."

Board members were asked to lead emergency meetings of their task and finish groups and identify urgent priorities.

The meetings are due to take place in the second quarter of next year.