Under attack: Figures reveal three NHS Highland staff are victims of assault every day
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BOSSES and health union leaders have condemned the shocking level of attacks aimed at paramedics and frontline NHS staff in the Highlands – which equate to around three per day.
According to the latest figures from NHS Highland and the Scottish Ambulance Service there have been a total of 6750 verbal and physical assaults against NHS Highland staff in the Inverness area between 2014 and September this year.
When the figures are broken down there were 447 such incidents in 2014, 1468 in 2015, 1064 in 2016, 1331 in 2017, 1486 in 2018 and 954 to September 1 this year.
Of the 6750 incidents, 52 involved paramedics in the NHS Highland area with the rest being other staff including doctors and nurses.
NHS Highland was unable to provide details but the ambulance service explained 21 of the attacks on paramedics were in Inverness three of which were described as clinical assaults and three as threats by someone armed with a weapon, such as a knife or a bottle.
Richard Whyte, Unite regional industrial officer, said: “NHS Highland staff are a dedicated and hard-working group who provide vital services to the public, which can often be lifesaving.
“The scale of the physical and verbal attacks on staff in the Inverness area revealed by these statistics is appalling. It reveals the dangers – both physical and mental – which NHS workers confront on a daily basis.
“More than 6700 attacks have taken place over the last five years and this is probably an under estimation. The reality is staff and patients are at risk of serious injury or long-term damage to their health. Far more preventative measures need to be put in place and a zero-tolerance approach adopted.
“All abuse must be reported and where appropriate that incidents are recorded with the police.”
David O’Connor, Unison Scotland regional organiser, said: “Attacks on emergency staff are totally unacceptable – no worker should face violence and aggression at their work. The Scottish Ambulance Service needs to take action to prevent attacks on staff and to fully support staff after any incident so they can continue to provide this essential service.
“The Scottish Ambulance Service often says violence must not be part of the job, but we need more than words; we need to ensure high-risk addresses are recorded and reported to staff; provide staff with appropriate training; consider the introduction of body cams; encourage staff to report incidents, give them the time to do it and then act on the reports.”
Stevie Gilroy, branch secretary of Unison’s Scottish Ambulance Service branch, said: “It’s horrendous that ambulance workers face abuse and violence in the line of duty. This should never be viewed by anyone as ‘just part of the job’.
“The short term impact of these assaults are obvious, however, they can cause long-term physical and mental damage.
“Protecting staff from violence and abuse must be a priority and the Scottish Ambulance Service must do more to ensure the safety of staff.”
Bob McGlashan, the senior officer for Highland with Royal College of Nursing Scotland, said: “Nursing teams are already under pressure due to staff shortages and increasing demands; they should not have to put up with verbal or physical assaults from those they are caring for or their families.”
An NHS Highland spokeswoman said it encourages staff to report every incident.
“We have a zero-tolerance approach to deliberate violence and aggression towards any member of our staff,” she said. “However it is important to note that many of the incidents reported relate to confused and unwell patients whose perception of the environment and the intentions of staff may be altered and this results in distressed behaviour.”
She added training was given to all staff to help de-escalate or defuse situations.
An ambulance service spokeswoman said staff receive violence and aggression training and are taught to carry out risk assessments when arriving to assist a patient. She added its staff should not have to fear for their safety at work.
