HC Deb 15 May 2002 vol 385 c729W
Paul Flynn

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many(a) red cards and (b) yellow cards were issued in each hospital taking part in the trials to reduce violence; and what changes have taken place in the levels of violence in (i) those hospitals using the schemes and (ii) those who are not. [54462]

Mr. Hutton

No trials have been undertaken by the Department on the yellow and red card schemes. Barts and the London NHS Trust introduced a policy on the withdrawal of treatment from violent patients, also known as the yellow and red card scheme, in September 2000. The policy has had a deterrent effect, and although the trust has issued 12 yellow cards (formal written warnings), it has proved necessary to issue only the one red card (withdrawal of treatment).

Barts and the London NHS Trust have provided the following information on the number of reported violent incidents.

Quarter Total reported incidents
July-September 2000 56
July-September 2001 102
April-9 May 2002 40

The trust attributes the increase in reported incidents to increased staff awareness of the importance of reporting all incidents, which has been achieved through publicising the trust's policy in staff bulletins, and on posters, and wage slips.

The Department issued national guidelines, based on the Barts scheme, to national health service trusts to help develop policies on withholding NHS treatment from violent and abusive patients on 2 November 2001. All trusts must consider the need to develop a local policy on withholding treatment from violent and abusive patients. Such policies and procedures should form part of local policies addressing safer working conditions and should have been in place by April 2002.

Information on violent patients who have had treatment withheld because of their violent behaviour is not collected centrally, but may he held at a local level by NHS employers.

Back to