Hospitals foot the bill for extra policing
NHS Trusts are incurring the cost of extra policing to prevent staff from working in fear of physical and verbal abuse on a Friday and Saturday night in A&E departments.
Glasgow, Newcastle and Merseyside have all revealed that they paid for extra police cover due to increased reports from staff of physical and verbal abuse. For some hospitals this figure exceeds £50,000 a year, and has lead some Trusts to devise violence and aggression policies.
It is the responsibility of each Trust to assess the risk to staff and then to absorb the cost accordingly. The 24 hour drink culture has been blamed for the increase of incidents, and unions have campaigned for tougher sanctions for people convicted of assaults on NHS staff and paramedics.
If you have been affected by any issues raised in this article please contact us on 0800 158 5258 to speak to one of our specialist advisors.