Hiya Shambles....just wanted to comment on that point about responsibility in you first post

"If the bully doesn't know what they are doing, they should be suspended from duty on the grounds of diminished responsibility and the provisions of the Mental Health Act should apply. "

I know a bit about UK mental health services and have a few points to make.


a) mental health services are so over-stretched that they are unlikely to respond to requests to get involved unless there is a crisis big enough to raise a blip on their radar

b) due to the abiliities of the serial bully in terms of deception and "impression management" it is difficult to get an accurate assessment if a mental health worker does get involved

c) People with personality disorders are often regarded as "untreatable" (i.e. medication and / or the usual talking therapies generally on offer have little effect) and this means that some of the main provisions of Mental Health law in the UK cannot be used as there needs to be evidence that the legal intervention will produce an improvement in the patient's condition.


So if personnel and employment law systems cannot deal with the serial bullies, I think it is unfortunately unlikely that the NHS can or will do so except in exceptional circumstances.