6,039 ASSAULTS ON HEALTHCARE STAFF IN A YEAR
Shock rise in hospital attacks Workers call for ‘zero tolerance’
ASSAULTS on frontline healthcare workers are on the rise with nurses bearing the brunt of the abuse, the Irish Sunday Mirror can reveal.
The scale of horrors faced by hospital staff on a daily basis is laid bare in stark figures released under the Freedom of Information Act.
There were 6,039 assaults on healthcare workers in 2023 – a 4% increase of 239 from 5,800 the previous year, HSE statistics show.
More than half of the attacks – 58% – were on nurses (3,518), with 334 on “allied health professionals” and 102 on “medical staff ”.
Assaults reported on the National Incident Management System included 58 on catering and cleaners, 55 on ambulance crews, and 1,930 on “other staff ”.
There were 4,465 direct physical assaults recorded against frontline workers in 2023, 1,525 verbal assaults and 49 sexual assaults.
MAJOR
At least three of the assaults were categorised as “major incidents” meaning the healthcare worker sustained serious injuries or required treatment for more than six months.
Just over 3% of incidents (193) were classed as moderate, 8.53% (515) were classed as minor and the remaining 88.2% (5,328) were described as negligible.
The alarming increase shows frontline hospital staff faced an average of 17 assaults per day in 2023 – with more than 12 a day targeting nursing staff.
Incidents peaked in March (581), with 563 in June, 555 in April, 546 in May, 537 in October and 533 in August. December recorded the lowest number of assaults (397), with 438 in January, 445 in September, 456 in November, 461 in February and 527 in July.
Violence against healthcare workers has been on the rise since the pandemic, research shows.
Reports cite frustration at long waiting times and staff shortages as factors contributing to the increase in hostility toward hospital workers.
In a statement the HSE’S FOI department said the number of assaults reported may not reflect the full scale of the problem.
It told the Irish Sunday Mirror: “Due to delays in reporting numbers are likely to change over time, however the organisation continues to encourage the reporting of all incidents regardless of the level of harm, if any. “Ensuring the safety of employees and service users is a priority concern for the HSE. The HSE is committed to creating a safe environment within which to work or to be treated.”
In November 2023 the Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act increased the maximum penalty for assaults on gardai and emergency service workers from seven to 12 years.
But medical professionals have called for more to be done to tackle violence in the workplace and protect healthcare workers.
They urge an “integrated” and “robust” approach to include hospital alarm systems, de-escalation training and a zero tolerance approach to abuse.
Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation general secretary Phil Ni Sheaghdha said the violence is “completely unacceptable”.
She said: “No other profession sees this level of abuse. It must be made clear that once you step foot in a hospital there is zero tolerance for any kind of verbal, physical or sexual assault.
“Hospitals are workplaces, as well as places of care. No worker should have to put up with this level of abuse in the workplace.”
Hospitals are workplaces as well as places of care. No worker should have to put up with this level of abuse