Security has been heightened at Whittington Hospital after reports of violence and abuse against hospital staff have spiralled.
A February report suggested ethnic minority staff, especially nurses, have borne the brunt of this abuse.
Clare Dollery, Executive Medical Director at Whittington, told a trust board meeting that the violence was particularly concerning because it was “typically associated with patients with mental health”.
“There has been a noticeable shift in the profile of patients likely to become abusive,” she said.
Ethnic minority workers raising concerns about safety, health, and wellbeing represented just under half of the complaints made in a report by the National Guardian’s Office, a body set up to encourage NHS staff to speak up against poor conditions.
“Nursing staff go to work to provide the best care possible…it’s unacceptable for them to be attacked”
Mark Farmer, Royal College of Nursing
The Trust board was told that extra security staff had been deployed, and that a listening event could be arranged to help deal with the increase in violent attacks.
Mark Farmer, Head of Operations for the Royal College of Nursing London region, said: “Every day, nursing staff go to work to provide the best care possible for patients and it’s completely unacceptable for them to be attacked or abused in the workplace.
“But the stark reality across London is that more and more of our members are being attacked or facing verbal abuse from an increasingly frustrated public. This is in large part due to the challenges the NHS is facing right now, including long wait times, not enough nursing staff and patients being treated in inappropriate settings such as corridors and in ambulances in hospital car parks.”
Whittington Hospital was criticised in January for advertising hiring “corridor care” nurses as it dealt with last winter’s flu spike.
Nationally, one in seven NHS staff have been physically assaulted by the public while they worked, according to an NHS survey of 740,000 staff released last week.
Nearly 10 per cent of employees experienced discrimination, with half of those saying it was racially motivated.
one in seven NHS staff have been physically assaulted
Dr Navina Evans, chief workforce officer at NHS England, said: “It’s totally unacceptable that NHS staff are facing physical violence, sexual assault and discrimination from patients and the public while at work.
“We know the most important way to stamp out incidents of unacceptable behaviour is to give people the confidence to report it.”
Nurses and midwives are particularly under attack, with the same survey showing 34.5 per cent of them have been abused by the public. A further 14 per cent faced racial discrimination from the public – the highest level since records began in 2019.
Helga Pile, the UNISON public service union’s head of health, said: “Harassment, bullying and sexually motivated incidents remain shockingly high. Staff providing vital treatment and support must be able to do their jobs without fear of any kind of abuse, attack or unwanted advances.”
Prime Minister Kier Starmer has pledged to abolish NHS England, the administrative body that manages trusts like Whittington Hospital. This will lead to 9000 administrative roles being cut, while Health Secretary Wes Streeting has not ruled out sacking nurses as part of the sweeping changes.
Whittington Hospital declined to comment.
Jamie Boys is a student journalist from London. He is the beat reporter for Junction Ward, i.e. Archway, North London. He also has a by-line at the Standard. Jamie grew up in central London, but has lived in the USA and Australia. Jamie is a huge Chelsea fan and has had a season ticket his whole life. He has a particular interest in political journalism.