§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many(a) alcohol and (b) drug related assaults on ambulance staff have taken place in each of the last three years for each relevant NHS trust. [136443]
§ Mr. DenhamThe information requested is not held centrally. The National Health Service Executive conducted a survey of violence in National Health Service trusts in England in 1998–99. The survey found that, on average, seven violent incidents were recorded each month per 1,000 staff. This is equivalent to approximately 65,000 violent incidents each year. The number of violent incidents varied by trust type. The average number of incidents in ambulance trusts was over twice the average for acute trusts: seven incidents every month per thousand staff working for ambulance services compared with three for the acute sector.
The survey did not reveal the causes of violent incidents. This information would be reflected in local prevention and reduction strategies, and held locally by individual National Health Service employers through local reporting procedures and identified through appropriate risk assessment measures. Details of the survey can be found in Health Service Circular 1999/229: 'Managing Violence, Accidents and Sickness Absence in the NHS', copies of which are available in the Library.
As part of the continuing NHS zero tolerance zone campaign, the NHS Executive developed further resource sheets to support staff working in those settings we know to be most at risk—namely in Mental Health, Community and Ambulance settings, and also in primary care. A "Resource Pack Update" was issued on the 3 October 2000 to assist managers and staff working in high risk settings and included guidance on:
- Managing Violence in Mental Health;
- Managing Violence in the Community;
- Managing Violence in Ambulance Trusts;
- Primary Care—Preventing Violence and Abuse to GPs and their staff; and
- Case Studies and Examples of Good Practice—Part II.