Fall in attacks on mental health workers

8:50pm Wednesday 23rd July 2008

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ATTACKS on mental health workers are falling in Worcestershire despite concerns about high levels of violence in the rest of the country.

A Healthcare Commission published this week said 45 per cent of nurses and 15 per cent of patients were assaulted last year in acute in-patient mental health wards.

But figures from Worcesershire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust, which has staff at Newtown Hospital, Worcester, suggest attacks are falling.

There were 168 physical and verbal assaults on staff reported in 2007/08 – compared to 216 such assaults in 2007/07 and 265 the year before that.

The trust opened a psychiatric intensive care unit in May which has helped the trust to better treat the most disturbed patients.

A trust spokesman said: “I would suggest it’s down to staff training, better awareness and better risk management. Assaults on staff will not be tolerated and will always be taken seriously.”