Written question asked by Jonathan Shaw (Labour) on Wednesday, 1 March 2006, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 7 March 2006. It was answered by Baroness Winterton of Doncaster (Labour) on Tuesday, 7 March 2006 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Patient Violence

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to protect NHS staff from patient violence.

Answer: The NHS Security Management Service (NHS SMS) has developed a range of both proactive and reactive initiatives to tackle violence and aggression against staff.A network of local specialists has been put in place, with the professional skills to tackle this problem, supported nationally by the NHS SMS. A national syllabus for conflict resolution training has been developed to ensure NHS front-line staff are given the skills required to confidently and lawfully de-escalate and manage potentially violent situations.A new national reporting system for physical assaults has been introduced and the first ever accurate figures for the number of assaults on NHS staff. The NHS SMS is also ensuring that effective sanctions are applied to those who attack NHS staff by providing highly effective legal advice, guidance and support to NHS bodies. Figures released in August 2005 show a 15-fold increase in the number of prosecutions against those who physically assault NHS staff.

Secondary information