1 in 10 NHS staff face violence
More than one in 10 staff were violently assaulted by patients in West Midlands hospitals last year, an alarming survey has revealed.
The study found scores of workers at NHS trusts across the region were attacked by the people they were trying to help.
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 to foster a "culture of respect".
The survey of more than 126,000 staff across England found that on average, 12 per cent of hospital workers had been attacked by a patient and three per cent by relatives visiting their loved ones.
In the Black Country, figures for Walsall Hospitals NHS Trust showed 14 per cent of staff were attacked by a patient and six per cent by their relatives – higher than the national averages.
Dudley Group of Hospitals NHS Trust recorded 10 per cent of assaults were by service users, while it was eight per cent for The Royal Wolverhampton and Sandwell and West Birmingham hospitals NHS trusts.
Around 15 per cent of staff at South Staffordshire Healthcare NHS Foundation and 10 per cent of the workforce at Mid Staffordshire General Hospitals NHS Trust said they were assaulted by a patient.
Figures for Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust showed 11 per cent of staff had been attacked by a service user and four per cent by relatives, while Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust recorded 11 per cent for attacks by a patient and five per cent by a visitor.
Anna Walker, chief executive of the watchdog, said: "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."
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.
