More than 12 health staff assaulted every day as patients ‘vent frustration’ over delays

More than 12 health service staff a day are subjected to physical, verbal or sexual assaults, new figures indicate.

With nurses bearing the brunt of workplace assaults across the health service, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) has called for a “zero tolerance” approach to the problem.

A total of 7,307 assaults on staff was logged by the Health Service Executive between the start of last year and July 2022.

Nursing staff, the single biggest job category in the health service, were worst affected, having suffered 4,420 assaults over the 19-month period. Some 2,442 assaults were reported by “other staff” and 232 by allied health professionals.

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Just over 200 assaults were on other staff, including 59 on catering or housekeeping staff, according to figures provided by the HSE to Sinn Féin health spokesman David Cullinane.

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An INMO spokeswoman said that one effect of staffing shortages was that patients and their families are often left for very long periods, sometimes days, in inappropriate areas of hospitals while they wait for a bed. “People get very upset, and unfortunately if they do vent their frustrations, frontline nurses and midwives are the ones who end up taking physical or verbal abuse,” she said.

“It is not acceptable in our professions or any other profession that the possibility of being assaulted is considered part of the job. It’s not something you should have to take in your stride, and sadly for some of our members there are long-term and devastating psychological effects which can be life changing and career ending.”

“Tackling assaults against nurses and midwives requires a zero-tolerance approach, but until the problem of chronic overcrowding is addressed, nurses and midwives will continue to face an avoidably highly volatile workplace where things can too easily get out of control.”

The HSE said staff are encouraged to report all “near misses” and incidents, even those that do not result in harm. As a result, the number of incident reports should not be considered as indicative of a level of harm.

In addition, there may be multiple reports relating to the same incident, it said. However, it also acknowledges there are delays in reporting numbers, so they may rise over time.

Katrina Dempsey, HSE interim head of the national health and safety function, said the HSE will continue to place an emphasis on the management of work-related aggression and violence. She said key focus areas would be national policy on the management of work-related aggression and violence, where policy is being reviewed, as well as risk assessment and training.

Mr Cullinane said there could be no justification for attacks on frontline health workers, and robust protections were needed in hospitals to prevent them.

“We also need to recognise that hospital overcrowding is in part adding to the number of assaults.

“We need an emergency department plan that increases inpatient bed capacity to speed up hospital admissions, increase community bed capacity to speed up discharges and increase GP capacity to take pressure away from acute hospitals.”