Act quickly following an assault

Published: 26 February 2013

The Royal College of Nursing legal team has advised members to take prompt action if they wish to make a claim after experiencing an assault in the workplace.

The new criminal injuries compensation scheme, in place since November 2012, requires that matters are reported to the police by the claimant as soon as is reasonably practicable. The scheme wording states:

“An award under this scheme will be withheld unless the incident giving rise to the criminal injury has been reported to the police as soon as reasonably practicable. In deciding whether this requirement is met, particular account will be taken of:

(a) the age and capacity of the applicant at the date of the incident; and
(b) whether the effect of the incident on the applicant was such that it could not reasonably have been reported earlier.”

"Nursing staff are particularly vulnerable to assault in the workplace. You must report the matter to the police as close to the day as is practicable to the day of the incident,” said RCN Senior Legal Officer Roz Hooper.