Violence and aggression towards NHS staff is unacceptable – and this vital message is being highlighted in new posters being displayed in Lanarkshire.
The Healthcare Commission recently published a survey which found more than one in 10 NHS workers said they had experienced physical violence from patients or their relatives.
Hugh Sweeney, NHS Lanarkshire’s Healthy Working Lives manager, said: “The health and safety of staff is a key priority for NHS Lanarkshire and unfortunately incidents of violence and aggression towards them, both physical and verbal, is our biggest cause for concern.
“It is hoped these posters will help to raise awareness and focus attention to challenging unacceptable behaviour towards NHS Lanarkshire healthcare staff from a small but significant minority of patients, relatives and visitors and hopefully will help to discourage this type of behaviour and improve the working environment of our staff.”
A spokeswoman for Strathclyde Police said: “We recognise that hospital staff are often in situations where they are vulnerable to attack from people who are in a distressed state and often under the influence of alcohol.
“Hospitals are an integral part of the communities we serve and officers regularly visit hospitals in the normal course of their duties, especially during nights when casualty departments are likely to be busy.
“The Scottish Government recently introduced legislation to provide added protection for emergency service workers and police officers will use these powers to prosecute anyone who assaults hospital staff.”
Two types of posters will displayed throughout premises in NHS Lanarkshire.
They will both display the message ‘It’s your choice of treatment…’ with images showing either a nurse’s uniform and police uniform, or a patient being treated with an intravenous drip and someone in handcuffs.
Tracy Dodd, senior charge nurse at Wishaw General’s accident and emergency (A&E) department, said:
“Everyone has the right to work in a safe environment without fearing they will be the victim of violence and aggression.
“Staff in A&E can often come across patients who are aggressive, especially at weekends, and anything that can help reduce this is very welcome.”
Such incidents are not restricted to A&E as staff in other areas also experience acts of aggression from patients often under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or suffering from mental illness.
Jan Shand, NHS Lanarkshire manager for Prevention and Management of Violence and Aggression (PaMOVA), said: “We continually seek to work in partnership with local police in the management of aggressive and violent individuals.
“We also have mandatory training for appropriate staff, to enable and equip them to manage violent or potentially violent situations and staff are actively encouraged to report incidents.
“NHS Lanarkshire also actively works with colleagues in NHS Scotland groups to share best practice to improve and enhance staff ability to manage violent and aggressive incidents.”