Health professionals exposed to constant violence UK

Main Category: Nursing / Midwifery
Article Date: 10 Mar 2004 - 0:00 PDT

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One sixth of all NHS (National Health Service) have had personal experience with physical violence in the workplace, according to a new survey.

The UK Commission for Health Improvement carried out the survey. 200,000 NHS staff were surveyed throughout the UK.

75% of NHS staff work longer hours than they were contracted for.

73% of those interviewed were generally satisfied with their jobs.

Those surveyed included people working in primary care, ambulance trusts and hospitals, doctors, nurses, managers and administrative workers.

37% had been harassed, bullied or abused at work during the past year.

Although most of the abuse had been carried out by a patient or his/her relative/friend there were some who said the abuse came from a colleague or manager.

Surprisingly, many of those who were victims of physical violence had not reported the incident.

20% had suffered injury/illness due to moving/handling patients, needlestick or sharps injuries, falls or exposure to dangerous substances.

40% had experienced stress (from work).

47% saw a mistake that would have harmed staff or a patient during the previous four weeks.

Jocelyn Cornwell, CEO of the Commission for Health Improvement, said 'It is concerning that almost one in six staff have experienced physical violence at work. Although this unfortunate statistic is comparable to other North European health care providers, more needs to be done to ensure staff can go about their work without the fear of being attacked. There is clear evidence of connections between how staff are managed, how they feel about their work and the outcomes for patients. More needs to be done to ensure NHS staff are provided with an appropriate work/life balance even though most staff report that they are happy in their jobs. It is encouraging to see that the NHS is investing in its staff by providing so many with training and development.'

The Royal College of Nursing UK said more should be done to tackle bullying and abuse among staff.

A spokeswoman for the Royal College of Nursing said 'The vast majority of incidents are between patients and staff, or relatives and staff - but there is a significant number of people complaining of bullying from managers or colleagues. This is completely unacceptable, and something the NHS must tackle.'

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