Operation Cavell between the central London hospitals Guy’s and St Thomas’ and the Metropolitan Police seeks to build trust among staff so they feel confident when reporting assaults, threats, or violence by patients and visitors.
Detective Chief Supt Simon Messinger, in charge of Lambeth and Southwark police, signed the pact for the Met. He said: “We do not tolerate violence against our own officers and staff – when they are threatened or assaulted, we are robust in pursuing the offenders and bringing them to justice. We are committed to providing the same protection under the law to our colleagues across healthcare services. When NHS staff report an incident, we will put the victim first and take positive action.”
The latest figures from Guy’s (public entrance pictured) and St Thomas’ show the number of physical assaults has fallen from 274 in the same period in 2017 to 219. This has been put down to the use of body worn cameras by security staff, and guidance given to staff about de-escalating situations.
Other statistics show that in the six months from April to September 2018 some 38 patients have been excluded from the Trust which means they will only be provided with emergency treatment – up from 29 in the same period in 2017. And 236 behaviour contracts have been issued – these explain why that person’s behaviour was unacceptable and that any repeat will mean they are excluded from the Trust – up from 140 in the same period in 2017.
Jayne King, Head of Security at Guy’s and St Thomas’, said: “Being attacked should never just be part of the job for our staff. Whilst the number of incidents is still far too high I’m pleased to see the body cameras worn by the security team are acting as a deterrent and helping us to issue more sanctions to offenders.”
The ‘Keep our staff safe campaign’ includes:
– posters in hospitals and community sites telling anonymised real stories of staff who have been attacked or abused
– an updated guide for managing challenging behaviour by patients and visitors, and a training film for staff
– training courses in conflict resolution
– working with the personal safety charity Suzy Lamplugh Trust on bespoke training for staff based in the community, such as health visitors.
Dame Eileen Sills, Chief Nurse at Guy’s and St Thomas’, said: “We want staff to feel safe and supported when they come to work. Whilst I absolutely understand that coming to hospital can be a very stressful experience any unprovoked violence and aggression towards staff is unacceptable. We have made a commitment with Lambeth and Southwark police to work together to tackle violence and antisocial behaviour towards our staff and make sure any offenders are pursued through the courts if necessary.”
Last year the Westminster Parliament passed a new law that doubled the maximum sentence from six to 12 months in prison for assaulting an emergency worker, including healthcare workers. There was already a specific offence for assaulting a police officer; this was extended to anyone carrying out the work of an emergency service; but not security officers.
