Lanarkshire politicians have responded to the grim statistics revealing the number of assaults on NHS staff.
The latest figures from UNISON show that there were 18,389 assaults in Scotland from the start of April 2021 to the end of March 2022 – with 1173 of these incidents affecting NHS Lanarkshire staff.
Rutherglen MSP Clare Haughey said she was "concerned" to learn of the level of assaults on NHS workers.
The SNP representative told Lanarkshire Live : “It is unacceptable that physical and verbal assaults are taking place against healthcare workers who are providing treatment and care for patients.
“Everyone deserves to be treated with respect in their place of work.
“Under the Emergency Workers (Scotland) Bill, it is an offence to attack those who are providing emergency services and a person found guilty of an assault can face imprisonment, a fine or both.
“When an assault does take place, it is important that the offence is reported to the health board to enable support and to allow for an investigation to take place.
“Our healthcare workers have been our most valuable asset throughout the pandemic, they deserve our heartfelt appreciation and gratitude.”
Colette Stevenson, SNP MSP for East Kilbride, said: “Hard-working NHS staff do a stressful job as it is and they shouldn’t have to worry for their own safety whilst at work.
"Likewise, patients should be able to access healthcare, safe in the knowledge that they won’t face either verbal or physical abuse.
“All instances of violent behaviour should be reported to the police so they can be investigated and actioned as soon as possible.”
Fulton MacGregor, the Coatbridge MSP, called the Unison figures “shocking” and told Lanarkshire Live: “Everyone in Scotland has the right to work in a safe environment.
“Nobody should be going to work with fear that they may be subject to abuse and harassment and any level of assault, intimidation or abuse should not be accepted. Those who work in our NHS do so under considerable stress already.
“I believe in a zero-tolerance approach to violent behaviour towards workers and I encourage the NHS and the Scottish Government to work together to ensure that all reports of abuse are dealt with in a swift and effective way – this includes ensuring that NHS staff levels are increased, waiting times are decreased, and guaranteeing that reporting mechanisms are effective.
Central Scotland Labour MSP Monica Lennon said: “This is an extremely worrying snapshot of violence against NHS workers that is simply abhorrent.
“It may even be the tip of the iceberg, as many assaults and abusive incidents are going unreported by healthcare staff.
“The fact that more than 1000 NHS Lanarkshire staff reported having been victim of a violent assault last year is a scandal and as a local MSP I am angry that this is happening.
“Healthcare workers are under-resourced, undervalued and overworked, and they should not have to worry about being assaulted on the job.
“The physical, mental and emotional harms are completely unacceptable. The Scottish Government and NHS boards must set out a robust plan to eliminate violence against NHS staff in the workplace in response to this UNISON report.”
Cabinet Secretary for Health, Humza Yousaf, said:“Assaults on patients or staff are completely unacceptable, and everyone has the right to access healthcare, or their place of work, without the fear of verbal or physical abuse.
“The courts have extensive powers to deal robustly with assaults. All instances of violent behaviour, including sexual assaults should be reported and escalated to the Police as quickly as possible.”
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