Most UK Emergency Department staff when surveyed have told the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) that they daily or weekly experience or witness violence and aggression in their department. Hence the RCEMโs Safe to Care campaign on behalf of doctors,ย nursesย and other healthcare staff in Emergency Medicine.ย
RCEM surveyed over 2,000 ED staff. Some 96 per cent of respondents said they experienced violence or aggression in their ED from patients or members of the public. ย Most, 73 per cent said it was a weekly, or even daily, occurrence and around two thirds said the incidents they experienced were of a discriminatory nature. ย One anonymous resident doctor told the survey: โWorking in the ED, you brace yourself for a lot, but nothing truly prepares you for direct, hateful verbal abuse, especially when itโs racially charged.โย
An ED consultant told the survey that they had been kicked in the face by an aggressive patient lying on a trolley. A mere four per cent told RCEM that they always felt safe working in ED, and barely more than half (57%) felt safe most of the time. ย The RCEM points to most, 75pc of staff reporting short-term stress and anxiety, 40pc experiencing burnout, 14pc taking time off work and 28pc experiencing long-term stress or anxiety. ย Many said they had little confidence that reporting incidents will lead to action, with fewer than half (41pc) of staff who made a report saying their trust took โmeaningful actionโ. ย
Dr Ian Higginson,ย President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine,ย said: โNo one should go to work fearing or, worse, expecting, to be attacked, intimidated or abused.ย Nor should they lack confidence that their employersย have their backs, or that the judicial system willย kick in. Yet,ย thatโsย the reality faced byย the majority ofย my colleagues in EDs across the country.ย They often do not feel safe to care for patients.ย It is an appallingย state of affairsย which is contributing towards many people seriously considering whether Emergencyย Medicineย โ or even healthcare in general โ is for them.ย
โTackling violence and aggression is crucial for the wellbeing of staff, whose dedication to the NHS isย all tooย frequentlyย being repaid in kicks,ย punchesย and abhorrent verbal abuse. We know that long waits and crowding areย one of the mainย driversย of this, but that is not the fault of staff.ย Thatโsย on our governments.ย Every hour of every day, our Emergency Medicine teams are there for patients.ย Itโsย time staff received the respect and safety they deserve.ย ย
โThis should not be a novel concept to anybody. Much has been said by us and other organisations over the years about violence and aggression towards healthcare staff. But the problemย seems to beย getting worse, not better.ย Itโs time for action, time for governments, employers and organisationsย toย stand up for NHS staff, and time to ensure that those who intimidate, abuse or assault those who are trying to care for them face meaningful consequences for their actions.โย
The Royal College is calling for training, reporting, follow-up, and links with the police.
London
Meanwhile the London Assembly Health Committee recently heard from healthcare workers from across the NHS about violence. An Assembly motion has stated that ‘too many frontline healthcare workers face verbal and physical abuse’.
