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Better protection for NHS staff
31/03/2008
Enhanced protections for NHS staff come into force this week.
On the eve of extensions to the Emergency Workers Act, Minister for Public Health Shona Robison visits a GP practice in Fife today to meet community based health staff.
This fulfils a pledge from the Scottish Government to enhance the protection provided to NHS staff.
The Act was introduced in 2005 and provided legal protection to doctors, nurses and midwives working in a hospital, and anywhere else, whenever they were responding to an emergency.
It also provided protection to ambulance workers whenever they were on duty.
In January this year the Justice Committee approved modifications to the Act and it will now be extended to cover GPs, other doctors, nurses and midwives working in the community who were previously only covered if working in a hospital or responding to an emergency.
Minister for Public Health Shona Robison said:
"This extension to the Emergency Workers Act will provide additional protection for GPs, nurses and midwives working in the community and will send out a strong message that violence against healthcare workers is unacceptable and will not go unpunished.
"Fortunately most people recognise and respect the fantastic work that doctors, nurses and other staff in the health sector do but a small minority do not and treat them in a way that is unacceptable.
"Abusive or violent behaviour must not go unchallenged and offenders face the possibility of being charged and prosecuted.
"We all owe our NHS staff a huge debt of gratitude for the work they do on a daily basis sometimes in very challenging circumstances.
"Only a mindless minority think it is acceptable to abuse and attack health workers ignoring the vital service they provide and the terrible impact this kind of behaviour can have on staff morale.
"Since the introduction of the Emergency Workers Act in 2005 it is clear that NHS workers are being given a greater legal protection.
"We have acknowledged that there is still a problem with under reporting of this type of offence perhaps because historically staff felt that dealing with abuse, aggression and violence was part of the job in an emergency environment.
"It might also have been felt that nothing could be done if a member of staff was spat at, kicked or abused in the course of their duties.
"In actual fact that is not the case, since the introduction of the Emergency Workers Act in 2005 a significant number of individuals have been prosecuted for these types of offences.
"I hope this will encourage NHS staff to report cases of abuse or assault in the workplace. We must send out a clear message to offenders that their actions will not be tolerated and they could face prosecution."