Emergency department workers at the King’s Mill Hospital in Mansfield are “dreading” England’s upcoming Euro 2020 semi-final match after a spike in A&E visits resulted in “appalling” behaviour by members of the public towards staff members.
Leaders at Sherwood Forest NHS Trust, which runs the hospital, had to lay on extra security staff in the emergency department (ED) ahead of last Saturday’s England game, and said that they “will not hesitate to call the police” on patients who abuse their staff.
The King’s Mill hospital emergency department (ED) received an influx of over 900 people needing treatment following England’s victory over Ukraine on Saturday night.
While being treated patients displayed aggressive, rude, racist and sexist behaviour towards staff members on duty, the hospital’s chief nurse, Julie Hogg, has said.
Leaders at the hospital have issued a plea to members of the public ahead of England’s semi-final clash with Denmark to treat healthcare workers with respect in the line of duty.
They have also stressed that the hospital operates a “zero-tolerance approach” to intimidation and violence towards staff members, and that people who abuse workers will be reported to the police.
Chief Nurse Julie Hogg said: “On Saturday night our ED was an appalling and sometimes frightening place to work. Most patients were polite and were just seeking help and treatment, but a significant minority of people abused our colleagues; we experienced people who were violent, rude, said inappropriate sexual comments and, in some cases, were racist.
“This is absolutely unacceptable and we are not willing to tolerate this behaviour in our organisation. Our colleagues deserve to be safe at work.
"Many of them would have loved to have been watching the match but instead they were working hard, looking after their patients.”
“We have a duty to operate a zero-tolerance approach, so we won’t hesitate to call the police if people behave badly. We will also consider refusing future treatment in line with our policy.
“Our teams are hard-working and committed; we will be there to help those who need us on Wednesday, but sadly many staff are now dreading their shift.
"We have put extra security on to keep them safe, but this is a real shame as it’s money we could be spending on patient care, but NHS staff must be safe from harm."
The trust has also asked members of the public to observe the strict Covid regulations still in place in the hospital, despite some easing elsewhere. That means that patients are not allowed to bring friends with them into the ED, and are asked to wear a mask and observe social distancing at all times.
