Monday, November 10, 2008, 10:00

Health workers under attack

NHS STAFF suffered almost 56,000 attacks during the past year, according to new figures.

The NHS Security Management Service (SMS) revealed that 55,993 physical assaults were reported in England during 2007/8 – a rise of 284 since last year.

The majority of these – 39,934 – were reported in mental health trusts, and such trusts in Devon and Cornwall had 403 and 346 assaults respectively.

Data from the SMS also showed a rise in the number of sanctions, including Anti-Social Behaviour Orders, made against people who attacked staff. There were 992 sanctions last year – an increase of 123 on the year before.

Head of the SMS Richard Hampton said: "For too long, NHS staff have been prepared to accept some level of violence or abuse as part of the job.

"The SMS has made educating staff about the importance of reporting all assaults a top priority. This increase is a flag that shows people are now confident that action will be taken. It is important the risks of violence to staff are properly assessed so that the right measures are taken."

The biggest rise in the number of attacks was against staff working in NHS acute and foundation trusts. There were 10,983 assaults in these trusts in 2007/08, up 1,298 on the previous year.

The main hospital trusts across the Westcountry jointly reported fewer than 350 attacks on staff.

The Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital (RD&E), the second largest in the region, had 20 reported assaults – affecting under 0.4 per cent of staff.

A spokesman for the RD&E said: "Staff are encouraged to report any cases of violence against them and, in high-risk areas, staff are trained on methods to diffuse a situation."

Derriford Hospital reported 183 assaults – affecting three per cent of staff – while Royal Cornwall Hospital had 84.

(Source Western Morning News)

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