HC Deb 15 December 2003 vol 415 cc756-8W
Gregory Barker:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many assaults have been recorded on ambulance staff in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [142399]

Mr. Hutton:

Recording details of incidents of assaults on staff is the responsibility of each individual national health service employing body.

The figures presently available refer to reported violent incidents in ambulance trusts as opposed to actual assaults on staff and include incidents of verbal abuse. These figures are shown in the table.

Violent incidents
1998–99 1,641
2000–2001 3,882
2001–02 4,778
2002–03 5,412

The Counter Fraud and Security Management Service (CFSMS) was launched in April 2003, with a remit encompassing policy and operational responsibility for the management of security in the NHS. The CFSMS has introduced a national reporting system for recording physical assaults on staff and professionals working in the NHS with the ability to track cases and give accurate information on the level of assaults.

Gregory Barker:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have been convicted of assaulting ambulance staff in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and what action is being taken to tackle violent crime against paramedics and other ambulance staff. [142400]

Mr. Hutton:

Information on the number of successful prosecutions of individuals who assault staff and professionals in the national health service, including ambulance staff, has not been routinely collected through any central mechanism.

The Counter Fraud and Security Management Service (CFSMS) was launched in April 2003, with a remit encompassing policy and operational responsibility for the management of security in the NHS.

The CFSMS has introduced a national reporting system for recording incidents of physical assault. The system uses a legally based definition of assault, with the ability to track cases from start to finish, thus allowing for intervention where appropriate and necessary, in order to ensure the best possible outcome for the person assaulted. This system will be able to produce hard and accurate data about physical assaults as well as number of prosecutions.

The CFSMS has set up a Legal Protection Unit (LPU) to work with the police and Crown Prosecution Service to increase the number of prosecutions of persons who assault staff and professionals. The LPU will be providing health bodies with cost-effective advice on a wide range of sanctions, both civil and criminal, that can be taken against offenders.

Gregory Barker:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what pay rises are planned for ambulance staff in the next 12 months. [142403]

Mr. Hutton:

The proposed new pay system for all non-medical national health service employees, including ambulance staff, "Agenda for Change", has been negotiated over the past four years by NHS staff and employer representatives working in partnership. This includes a three-year pay deal that will give a 10 per cent., pay increase to all staff for the period 2003–04 to 2005–06.

From 1 April 2004, ambulance staff on national contracts will receive an uplift of 3.225 per cent., as part of this deal. From October 2004, when the new pay system is rolled out across the NHS, most ambulance staff are likely to receive further increases in pay on top of 3.225 per cent., but the impact on particular staff will vary depending on a range of factors, including the basic pay band to which their job matches and the amount of out-of-hours work they undertake.

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