NHS boss in pledge to protect workers

2017.

Lawyer Paul Ralph said Hartness had been subject to a community payback order at the time of the PRI incident and sentence had been deferred to see how that progressed.

He had subsequently completed the unpaid work on that order and had been assessed as fit to carry out more work.

Stressing that the latest order was a “direct alternative” to jail, Sheriff William Wood told Hartness: “You have an unenviable record and have been in and out of prison.

“Clearly this sort of behaviour, where people are just trying to do their jobs and have your best interests at heart, is not acceptable.”

George Doherty, director for organisational development with NHS Tayside, said: “We are committed to providing a safe working environment for all staff members.

“Earlier this year we launched the Respect Us campaign, which reminds patients and visitors that our staff are here to help and physical or verbal abuse is unacceptable and can lead to prosecution. We take each and every incident extremely seriously as it is a fundamental right of our staff that they can carry out their duties without having to face any kind of violence or the threat of violence.

“Staff are actively encouraged to report all episodes, no matter how minor, on our electronic incident reporting system.

“We are guided by Police Scotland when acting on incidents but NHS Tayside is committed to investigating cases and reinforcing staff safety.”