Protect health staff

NEWLY released figures for assaults on hospital staff reflect poorly on our health service.

Over the last decade, almost 10,000 incidents have been reported from frontline staff who have been attacked while carrying out their duties.

Admittedly a certain number of attacks are unavoidable, particularly from patients in psychiatric hospitals or those in general hospitals suffering from mental health problems, among other issues. Medication for serious illnesses also can have severe side effects, causing spiralling levels of aggression in the most placid of patients.

But these scenarios cannot account for the rate of violent attacks in our hospitals. It goes without saying that high stress levels are synonymous with illness and hospitalisation.

But in overcrowded A&Es, where patients can languish for days on trolleys, or in wards, where all the beds are occupied but staff shortages mean sick people must wait to be brought to the bathroom or for pain relief, a perfect storm is created where tempers fray, patients lash out in despair and the hardworking staff are pushed even further towards breaking point.

Put simply, the health service’s shortcomings are not just felt in terms of patient care but also in unacceptable risk to staff safety, which in turn feeds into the current recruitment difficulties.

It behoves the HSE to invest in restoring calm and order to our hospitals so patients and staff can co-exist in harmony.