Assaults on hospital staff have reached record levels in Wales – with attacks taking place on average 10 times every single day.
Exclusive figures obtained by WalesOnline show 3,805 physical assaults against staff were reported by Welsh health boards in 2017-18.
That was up from 3,716 in 2016-17, according to new stats released following Freedom of Information requests.
Staff were injured at least 1,654 times as a result of assaults in 2017-18, although not all health boards held this information so the true figure is likely to be higher.
Dame Donna Kinnair, chief executive and general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), said: “It’s extremely worrying to find out that the number of attacks on hospital staff is relentlessly rising again after a small reduction two years ago.
“The fact that assaults on staff have increased by 70% since 2010 shows that Ministers, the NHS, and individual employers have still not got a grip on this problem.
“Workplace violence for anyone working on the frontline is unacceptable. As a nurse myself I’ve seen and experienced situations that have made me feel unsafe or under threat.”
In dealing with assaults health boards in Wales used restraint on 853 occasions in 2017-18.
However just 178 criminal sanctions were recorded against the perpetrators as well as 390 civil and administrative sanctions such as warning letters, banning orders, and acceptable behaviour agreements.
Several health boards did not have this information so the real figures are likely to be much higher.
The available stats show people were charged 77 times and given verbal warnings by police on 50 occasions while police took no action in 44 cases.
Dr Rob Harwood, BMA consultants committee chairman, said: “The BMA has long been concerned about the risk and impact of violence on NHS staff and these figures show a worrying rise in attacks taking place against people doing their utmost to provide high-quality care to patients in an under-pressure health service.
“In an NHS blighted with rising workloads, long wait times, and doctors and colleagues in chronically short-staffed wards under increasing pressure to deliver there is a greater risk that patients and their loved ones become understandably frustrated.
“However there is no excuse for this frustration to be taken out on staff who are simply trying to help."
He added: “Violence against staff is not only physically and mentally harmful for the individuals targeted but it can be costly for an already stretched NHS as hospitals and other providers are forced to pay for security services, investigations, and cover for sick leave.
“Therefore there must be decisive action to tackle this problem and provide quality support to those who find themselves the victims of physical abuse.”
Dame Kinnair said far more needed to be done to protect frontline staff such as working closely with police and better recording of attacks.
She said health boards and trusts across the UK needed to show zero tolerance towards attacks and be prepared to prosecute offenders.
The RCN played a close part in shaping the new Assaults on Emergency Workers Act that came into force last year.
She said: “No-one deserves to be attacked, shouted at or threatened in the course of doing their job and the RCN will continue to work to try to protect nurses."
The responses from the health boards suggest around two-thirds of the assaults were carried out by someone who did not know what they were doing – or did not know what they were doing was wrong – because of illness, mental ill health, a severe learning disability, or because of treatment they had received.
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Dr Harwood said: “While we hope recent increases in jail sentences for people who attack emergency workers may help reduce incidents we must also look at the wider environment and how it may contribute to reasons behind why assaults take place.
“Alcohol is often a contributing factor, particularly in emergency departments, and more must be done, outside of medical settings, to reduce alcohol abuse.
“Similarly assaults can often occur when treating frail, older dementia patients or those with severe mental health problems.
“Situations in which these patients are inappropriately admitted to hospitals because of social care bed shortages or gaps in mental health provision are likely to only exacerbate the risk of attacks.
“The BMA believes that there is a clear need for measures to be put in place to minimise the likelihood of attacks, support staff who experience them and to ensure that anyone who commits an act of violence is dealt with appropriately.”
