More attacks on Lothian medical staff

Published on Thursday 13 November 2008 09:34

NEW figures show violence against doctors and nurses in the Lothians is on the increase.

Attacks on NHS Lothian staff rose by more than 12 per cent over the past two years. And now public sector union Unison is calling for stronger legal protection for employees at risk of assault.

Across Scotland there was a total of 32,263 attacks on health and local authority workers in 2007-08, more than half of which were on NHS employees. And Unison pointed out these were only the formally recorded incidents.

According to the figures, gathered by the union from health boards and councils under freedom of information, there were 2501 assaults recorded by NHS Lothian in 2007-08, compared with 2335 the previous year and 2199 the year before that.

The figures included verbal aggression as well as physical assaults and also incidents of routine restraint, which NHS Lothian said were part of normal care for some mental health patients.

The statistics showed there were 30 attacks on A&E staff in 2007-08 – including 13 on nurses and six where injuries were sustained.

Unison's Scottish organiser, Dave Watson, said: "It is completely unacceptable that thousands of dedicated staff providing services on behalf of the community are being assaulted at work. All those affected deserve stronger legal protection and better protective measures.

"We also need stronger legislation including an extension of the Emergency Workers Act to cover all those at risk."

The Act was brought in by the last Holyrood administration in the hope of curbing attacks on police, firefighters and others.

Mr Watson said discussions were under way with the Scottish Government on extending it further.

Figures given to Unison by Edinburgh City Council showed assaults on staff totalled 659 in 2007-08, including 532 in the children and families department and 121 in social work. But in recent years the number of recorded attacks has been around the 1200 level.

And a council spokesman acknowledged last year's figures may have been distorted by a time lag in collating the data and changes in recording methods.

James McCaffery, chief operating officer in the University Hospitals Division of NHS Lothian, said: "Our staff know we will support and protect their right to work free of fear. This includes taking legal action against anyone who attacks our staff, if necessary, alongside reporting all such incidents to the police."