‘Zombie’ drug attacks on health staff rising

Call for safety review at Murray Royal hospital

Deadly crystal meth and so-called “Zombie” drug Spice have triggered an “alarming” rise in staff assaults at a top mental health hospital.

Politicians have called for a review of safety at Murray Royal in Perth after figures obtained by The Courier reveal workers were attacked nearly 80 times in the last year.

The rate of violent incidents soared with the opening of the Rohallion secure care clinic, which one member of staff claims is not fit for purpose.

NHS chiefs say pyschoactive substances – once known as legal highs – continue to be a “serious challenge” despite being outlawed last year.

Local MP Pete Wishart has written to health bosses, calling for assurances that staff are fully equipped to deal with the effects of ever changing drug trends.

An alarming rise in assaults on staff at a Tayside mental health hospital has been linked with a boom in synthetic drugs such as crystal meth and Spice.

Workers at Murray Royal Hospital in Perth were assaulted 77 times in the last year.

Figures obtained by The Courier show that before the secure Rohallion Clinic opened at the hospital in 2012, there were only eight recorded incidents of “physical aggressive behaviour by patients” against staff.

This figure jumped to 62 the following year. There have been 269 attacks on staff in the last five years, but only seven incidents were reported to police.

A worker said the increase was largely due to patients’ persistent use of psychoactive substances – so-called legal highs – which were banned in the UK last year. He said staff were unprepared to deal with the ever changing drug trends.

Although the hospital has seen a drop in these drugs since they were formally outlawed, bosses admit they continue to be a “serious challenge”.

Deadly crystal meth, which is becoming more prevalent across Britain, and so-called Zombie drug Spice – a type of synthetic cannabis – have been largely blamed for triggering psychotic episodes and violent outburst among patients at Murray Royal.

The employee, who asked not to be named, claimed GPs were not medicating their patients as much as they used to, often making them more violent.

He claimed that Rohallion, which only opened five years ago, was not “fit for purpose”.

“There’s a seclusion room door which can be kicked out, but not in,” he said. “It should be the other way around.”

NHS Tayside consultant in forensic psychiatry Dr Stuart Doig said: “Rates of assaults on staff vary from month-tomonth and are often due to factors associated with a small number of patients with complex illnesses.”

He said an increase in bed numbers – from 27 to 65 in 2012 – and “improved reporting” contributed to the figures.

Dr Doig said: “We are very clear that staff should not come to work expecting to be assaulted and violence towards healthcare workers is unacceptable, however we acknowledge the complex issues associated with patients suffering from mental ill health.

He added: “Rohallion Clinic has modern, purpose-built facilities which have been consistently praised by visiting agencies.

“Although there has been a decrease from the worryingly high level of new psychoactive substance use seen a few years ago, likely due to enforcement measures by Police Scotland and the introduction of The Psychoactive Substances Act, these drugs continue to present a serious challenge in helping people recover from mental illness.”

We are very clear that staff should not come to work expecting to be assaulted and violence towards healthcare workers is unacceptable. DR STUART DOIG