According to NHS Protect, the NHS division responsible for identifying and tackling crime including violence across the NHS, there were 68,683 reported physical assaults against NHS staff in England in 2014-15, equivalent to 60 assaults per 1,000 staff.
All NHS trusts (the employers) are required to record all incidents directed against their staff, and to have clear strategies to protect their staff and reduce violent incidents.
The NHS has had a ‘zero tolerance’ attitude towards violence since 1999 and there has been a significant increase in the numbers of offenders being prosecuted since 2003, when the Counter Fraud and Security Management Service (CFSMS) was set up. NHS Security Management Service (NHS SMS) now deals with the security of people and property across the NHS in England.
The TUC handbook, Keeping Well at Work (priced £9.99), includes examples of NHS policies to prevent violence and abuse against staff.
