Hundreds of health workers attacked - but which hospital is worse?
Attacks on workers at two hospital trusts in the Black Country went up in a year – but the overall number of assaults on staff in the region fell.
There were 290 attacks on workers at Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust, which runs Sandwell General Hospital and City Hospital in Birmingham, in 2016/17.
This was up from 249 the year before.
And the number of attacks also rose at The Dudley Group NHS, which runs Russells Hall Hospital, from 132 to 139.
But at Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, which runs Walsall Manor, the number dropped from 202 to 168, as they did at The Royal Wolverhampton, which runs New Cross Hospital, from 140 to 77.
Across all four trusts, the number of attacks fell from 723 to 674.
However, UNISON, which published the figures, has today raised fears hospital staff are not protected in their work environment.
But Toby Lewis, chief executive at Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust, said his trust had a security team keeping staff and patient safe.
He said staff were also trained to deal with difficult situation.
He said: “The safety of everyone within our organisation is paramount and action will be taken against people who assault NHS staff. We have a dedicated security team who work hard to keep staff and patients safe.
“Where there are specific risks relating to individual patients, a risk assessment is carried out which takes into account their clinical condition. Where there are known or suspected risks of violence and aggression this information, including any control measures, is communicated to all staff working in the area and on handover or discharge to other healthcare workers or services.
“We train all our staff in conflict resolution and ask all staff to follow safe working practices and communicate well with patients, their relatives and visitors, which can be crucial in controlling some of the risks associated with violence and aggression.
"Our new purpose-built Midland Met Hospital is specifically designed to reduce the risk of violence.”
UNISON head of health Sara Gorton said: “Across the entire NHS, staff shortages are harming patient care and helping to create a hostile environment where health workers are increasingly at risk of being assaulted.
“It’s no accident that trusts where the pressures seem the most extreme – where there are huge financial deficits or where it’s a struggle to meet growing demands on services – have seen the steepest rise in the number of attacks. This desperate situation is only set to worsen as the squeeze on resources gets tighter."
