This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Zero tolerance on NHS violence
02/06/2003
Health Minister Malcolm Chisholm today said that
violence and aggression towards NHS staff is completely
unacceptable as he launched a pilot of zero tolerance style
posters and a CD designed to raise staff and public
awareness of the problem.
The pilots follow up the launch of Managing Health at
Work guideline from the Partnership Information Network
(PIN) earlier this year, which set out a number ways to
deal with violent patients.
At a conference in Dunblane,
Towards a Safer Healthier Workplace, Mr
Chisholm said:
"Violence and aggression against NHS staff is completely
unacceptable in a modern Scotland. That is why the Health
White Paper - Partnership for Care, launched earlier this
year, gave a commitment to raise awareness and reduce ill
health at work, including incidences of violence and
aggression.
"We have also published the Managing Health at Work PIN
Guideline, which contains a model policy on protecting
staff against violence and aggression at work including the
ability to withdraw treatment and ban patients in certain
circumstances.
"While not a panacea for dealing with all cases of
violence or aggression it does send the right message to
members of the public who behave this way.
"The message is clear - violent and loutish behaviour
towards staff in NHSScotland is not acceptable and will not
be tolerated.
"Today, I am delighted to see these ten pilot projects
up and running across the country, aimed at raising
awareness of violence and aggression at work. They have
received £372,000 funding from the Occupational Health and
Safety Strategy Implementation Group (OHSSIG). The projects
include looking at the impact of management training,
evaluating a violent incidence response team and training
in violence de-escalation techniques.
"The project group have been central in making the
public aware of the problem. They have produced a striking
poster campaign and CD on health and safety issues. If they
prove to be successful, we will look to roll out the
material for use across NHSScotland.
"These projects aim to deter attacks against health
service workers. Health staff must feel safe and secure as
they go about their duties. They should not have to deal
with the minority of individuals who perpetrate this
unacceptable behaviour. Other patients and visitors should
not be put in fear at a time when it is likely to be
stressful time for them."
The project group that designed the poster and CD
comprised Fife/Tayside Occupational Health and Safety
Advisory Service, Borders Primary Care, Fife Acute,
Highland Primary Care and NHS Orkney.
OHSSIG comprises representatives of the Service,
occupational health and safety professionals trade union
and professional organisations.
A full list of the pilot projects follows:
- Argyll & Clyde Occupational Health Service
looking at the impact of training in management of
aggression on incidence and severity of reported
incidents -
£25,500.
- Grampian University NHS Trust improving and
re-evaluating effectiveness of a violent incidence
response team -
£29,000.
- Fife Acute/Tayside and Fife Occupational Health
Service developing, implementation and evaluation of
package giving practical advice on management of
aggression in GP and Dental practices. Development of
campaign of publicity and education on 'zero tolerance'
-
£121,362.
- North Glasgow University NHS Trust developing
training materials on V&A for high-risk areas -
£15,800.
- Lothian University NHS Trust funding two training
and development advisers to develop strategy for
V&A management -
£40,000.
- Dumfries & Galloway Acute evaluating a range of
available personal attack call systems to establish
most efficient; to pilot and implement selected system
and monitor effectiveness -
£30,000.
- State Hospital training in violence de-escalation
techniques -
£30,000.
- Greater Glasgow PCT research into understanding
causative factors of violence within Acute in-patient
mental health services -
£38,500.
- West Lothian Healthcare construction of A&E
barrier, provision and evaluation of electronic
lockdown process, evaluation of guardian Angel lone
worker system -
£27,800.
- Yorkhill research into dealing with violent and
aggressive patients who are children -
£15,000.
The poster and CD will be made freely available to other
areas of the public sector should they wish to use it.
The PIN Board was established by the NHSScotland
Partnership Forum but in future will be linked to the HR
Forum. Membership is drawn from Trade Unions/Professional
Organisations, Trust/Health Board management and SEHD HR
Department. It was set up to produce guidelines for
development of good employment practice for use across
Scotland.
The Managing Health at Work guideline was launched on
January 31, 2003, and includes sections on major issues
that can affect staff during their daily work and offers
model policies on:
- dealing positively with stress at work
- promoting attendance
- tobacco, alcohol and other substances
- promoting safe manual handling
- protecting the health, safety and welfare of people
working alone
- protecting against violence and aggression at
work
- protecting staff against violence and aggression at
work
- reducing work-related driving risks
- incident management
- biological and chemical dangers
The guideline reflects the Executive's priorities for
NHSScotland. SEHD will work closely with other UK Health
Departments to maximise all our efforts in the occupational
and health and safety field and avoid duplication.
The option of withholding treatment, set out in the
guideline, has been carefully drawn up to ensure that it
will not apply to cases where a patient, in the expert
judgement of a clinician, is not considered competent for
their behaviour, e.g. where a patient is mentally ill.
Treatment will not be refused either in cases where
patients, require emergency treatment.