[2020] Motion 46 Violence in the NHS

carried motion
Carried motion

Received from:

In the latest available annual NHS staff survey, from last year, 14.5 per cent of staff said they had experienced physical violence from patients, their relatives or the public. Shockingly, some NHS staff reported attacks from their colleagues. As the NHS employs over 1.5 million people that is around 600 times a day.

Facing the prospect of violence in the workplace is not part of the job in any workplace, let alone in a healthcare setting.

Our members are there to give healthcare to the public who need it and not to be service users themselves because they have been on the wrong end of a violent attack.

Congress believes that more needs to be done to ensure the safety of our members so that they can go to work without fear. Collecting statistics is not enough and action is what is now required.

Congress therefore calls on the TUC to work with affiliated unions to ensure that every case of violence is properly investigated and where necessary the legal frameworks already in place are used against perpetrators or employers who do not take adequate steps to protect NHS staff.

College of Podiatry