Personal Alarms Help Curb Rising Hospital Violence

An alarming upsurge in hospital violence in the UK has got ministers worried and appalled. Doctors, nurses, ambulance crews, hospital staff and patients are being subjected to outbursts of both mental and physical abuse. Its no more the case of a solitary figure getting mouthy with staff, the worrying trend has seen full scale attacks on innocent hospital staff and patients by aggressive youths and late night party revelers.

In one incident in Belfast, a group of 40 youths attacked a hospital in what was described as a disgusting and deplorable act. It is getting so out of control that hospitals are now asking for Police presence within the hospital to deter such attacks.

Aggressive and violent patients fueled by drink and drugs can be extremely threatening in their actions and notoriously difficult to control. The risk of being injured in these type of situations can be very high indeed. Ministers and officials have begun rolling out risk assessment strategies to try and at least counter this escalating trend.

One initiative that has been giving the backing of ministers and also the police force is the introduction of personal safety alarms or personal attack alarms to every employee within the hospitals.

Health Minister Edwina Hart is behind the new initiative and hopes to see every member of staff fitted with a personal alarm for their own protection.

Its a big step in the right direction for helping to stamp out this modern-day social problem. Next is educating people on how to at least try to behave in environments that are there to care for injured people. We all understand the frustrations of sitting waiting in an accident and emergency ward can bring. Add alcohol or drugs into the mix and frustration soon boils into anger, then threats then violence.

No one should be expected to turn up for work at a hospital and expect to be assaulted on a weekly basis. But that is exactly what is happening in our countries hospitals. It is also a reason why so many good professionals are leaving the health care system in the UK.

Issuing personal alarms is a positive action. Here is hoping that the government now get serious with those that carry out aggressive assaults on hospital staff with stiff sentencing to send a message that yob behavior will not be tolerated.

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