Shapers
04-02-2007, 09:09 PM
NEARLY one in seven staff members were violently assaulted by patients at some of the region's hospitals last year, a survey has revealed.
The study found that 14% of workers at St Helens & Knowsley Hospitals trust were attacked by the people they were trying to help.
The violence was almost as bad at Southport & Ormskirk trust (13%), Aintree Hospitals (12%) and the Walton Centre for Neurology and Neurosurgery (11%).
But even those figures were dwarfed by the 26% of staff at the North West Ambulance Service who reported an assault by a patient in 2006.
Many ambulance and hospital workers also told researchers that they had suffered violence at the hands of the relatives of patients.
The independent Healthcare Commission, which carried out the survey, said it was worried by the findings and called for renewed action to tackle the violence.
Anna Walker, chief executive of the watchdog, said: "We are calling on trusts to redouble their efforts in this area.
"We must all adopt a zero tolerance policy to such behaviour. NHS staff deserve our respect and praise for what is often life-saving work, not violence and abuse."
And Karen Jennings, Unison's national health officer said: "It's time to say enough is enough. NHS workers are seeing their personal safety gradually deteriorate."
The survey revealed big discrepancies across the region in the proportion of hospital staff reporting violent attacks by patients.
The Countess of Chester Hospital (10%), Royal Liverpool & Broadgreen University Hospitals (9%) and Wirral Hospital (9%) had the next highest figures.
In contrast, 2% of workers at the Clatterbridge Centre for Oncology and Liverpool Women's Hospital were assaulted.
The survey of more than 126,000 staff across England found that, on average, 12% of hospital staff had been attacked by a patient and 3% by a patient's relative.
Just over half of those surveyed said they would not be happy with the standard of care provided in their trust if they were a patient.
But the NHS Security Management Service said the number of physical assaults dipped slightly in the year to October 2006, falling by 1,690 compared to 2004-05.
And the department for health pointed to a 1,600% increase in the number of prosecutions for abusing NHS staff over the last three years.
The survey mostly covered a period before the introduction of £1,000 fines to punish people who abuse or threaten health workers.
Hospital managers were also given greater powers to remove offenders from the premises, under the proposals designed to foster a "culture of respect".
The study found that 14% of workers at St Helens & Knowsley Hospitals trust were attacked by the people they were trying to help.
The violence was almost as bad at Southport & Ormskirk trust (13%), Aintree Hospitals (12%) and the Walton Centre for Neurology and Neurosurgery (11%).
But even those figures were dwarfed by the 26% of staff at the North West Ambulance Service who reported an assault by a patient in 2006.
Many ambulance and hospital workers also told researchers that they had suffered violence at the hands of the relatives of patients.
The independent Healthcare Commission, which carried out the survey, said it was worried by the findings and called for renewed action to tackle the violence.
Anna Walker, chief executive of the watchdog, said: "We are calling on trusts to redouble their efforts in this area.
"We must all adopt a zero tolerance policy to such behaviour. NHS staff deserve our respect and praise for what is often life-saving work, not violence and abuse."
And Karen Jennings, Unison's national health officer said: "It's time to say enough is enough. NHS workers are seeing their personal safety gradually deteriorate."
The survey revealed big discrepancies across the region in the proportion of hospital staff reporting violent attacks by patients.
The Countess of Chester Hospital (10%), Royal Liverpool & Broadgreen University Hospitals (9%) and Wirral Hospital (9%) had the next highest figures.
In contrast, 2% of workers at the Clatterbridge Centre for Oncology and Liverpool Women's Hospital were assaulted.
The survey of more than 126,000 staff across England found that, on average, 12% of hospital staff had been attacked by a patient and 3% by a patient's relative.
Just over half of those surveyed said they would not be happy with the standard of care provided in their trust if they were a patient.
But the NHS Security Management Service said the number of physical assaults dipped slightly in the year to October 2006, falling by 1,690 compared to 2004-05.
And the department for health pointed to a 1,600% increase in the number of prosecutions for abusing NHS staff over the last three years.
The survey mostly covered a period before the introduction of £1,000 fines to punish people who abuse or threaten health workers.
Hospital managers were also given greater powers to remove offenders from the premises, under the proposals designed to foster a "culture of respect".