Violence against nurses: Scunthorpe MP speaks out

Published: 10 July 2012

An issue brought up by the Scunthorpe branch has been highlighted in Parliament, as MP for Scunthorpe Nic Dakin led an adjournment debate around the issue of physical assaults on health care staff on 3 July.
The RCN is in regular contact with Nic Dakin and Secretary of Scunthorpe Branch John Hill regularly updates and briefs him on issues of relevance.
Using figures from Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust to illustrate his concerns, Nic Dakin said there had been more than 13 assaults per 1000 staff in 2009/2010.
He said: “We are determined to do all we can to minimise the cowardly, dastardly and disgusting attacks on people who do so much to help the frail, the vulnerable and the sick in this country.”
Having been briefed by the RCN parliamentary team on the impact of violence against nursing staff and policies surrounding this issue, Nic Dakin spoke about the personal impact and cost of assault, touching on the care for the victim, potential long-term sickness absence from work and the strain on friends and family.
He also made reference to work being done by the RCN and NHS Protect to improve the way reported incidents are followed up and to put in place adequate policies for those working in potentially dangerous situations.
The debate also touched on ongoing cuts and structural changes to the NHS, as Nic Dakin asked: “How will the Government ensure that the risk inherent in the changes (to the NHS) does not lead to more health care workers finding themselves in situations in which their personal safety is put at risk?”
RCN members who find themselves in dangerous situations can look at the advice and further information offered on RCN Direct pages.