HC Deb 04 November 2002 vol 392 cc120-1W
Mr. Burstow

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many ambulance personnel by region have been(a) shot, (b) stabbed and (c) assaulted in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [78428]

Mr. Lammy

[holding answer 31 October 2002]: Information on the type of and levels of violent incidents by individual staff group is not collected centrally, but may be held at a local level by national health service employers. Data on violent incidents involving all staff in the NHS were not collected on a national basis prior to 1998.

The results of the 2000–01 survey of reported violent or abusive incidents, accidents involving staff and sickness absence in NHS trusts and health authorities, in England, have been placed in the Library, along with a report setting out the Government's proposed action in light of the findings. The survey found that there were an estimated 13 reported violent or abusive incidents per 1,000 staff per month in ambulance trusts, compared to an estimated 10 such incidents for all NHS trusts.