Violence against NHS staff

Written by Madeleine Kirk and published in Letter to The Press on Tue 27th Feb 2007

The extent of violence against NHS staff is deeply worrying. It is totally unacceptable that there were 230 reported incidents against Yorkshire Ambulance Service staff in the last six months. No doubt there were also further incidents which went unreported because staff didn't believe it would lead to any action being taken.

Ministers must act now to crack down on violence against all NHS staff. Proper training to deal with potential threats is essential and the Police must also take a more robust approach. For example, the Police should look at whether enough cases are leading to criminal prosecution. Everyone entering a hospital must be one hundred per cent clear that violence against staff is never acceptable.