Helen Whately

On the walls at hospital A&E departments you often see posters saying things like ‘We want to help, don’t abuse us’, ‘Don’t take it out on our staff’ and ‘Stop abuse of NHS staff’. I find it shocking these posters are needed, but sadly they are.

I’ve heard about a policeman who was punched in the face while attending a domestic abuse incident. He was hurt so badly he couldn’t open his eye for four days. His assailant was given a £40 fine, which he didn’t have to pay as he had spent time in custody. I’ve heard of firefighters being pelted with rocks and stones and paramedics beaten up in ambulances.

No one should be attacked, spat at or verbally abused at work, least of all emergency workers who are trying to save lives. But it’s a growing problem.

Kent police recorded 368 assaults on officers – one a day – in 2016/17 compared to 272 in 2015/16. NHS Protect reported 70,555 assaults on staff in 2015/16 compared to 67,864 in 2014/15.

A few weeks ago Parliament debated a Bill to introduce tougher sentences for these kinds of crimes.

At the moment it’s a specific offence to attack a police, prison or immigration officer with a maximum six-month sentence, but there’s no particular law against attacking NHS staff. The Bill would introduce a new offence of assault against an emergency worker with a maximum sentence of 12 months. It would also mean the court would have to consider the fact that an attack was against an emergency worker as an aggravating factor. I’m glad the government is supporting this Bill and if the decision comes to Parliament I will vote in favour of passing it into law.

As a society we should send a strong message that we respect and value the emergency workers who keep us safe.