NHS Staff (Attacks) (Hansard, 12 November 2003)

§ Mr. Hutton

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 national health service.

Specific measures on tackling violence were announced in April by my right hon. Friend the Member for Darlington (Mr. Milburn), as follows: a national and consistent incident reporting system for recording physical assaults, and a consistent local reporting system for non-physical incidents, using clear and legally based definitions with the ability to track cases from start to conclusion, allowing for monitoring and intervention where necessary, to ensure the best possible outcome for the person assaulted; from 2004–05, the CFSMS will begin training nominated staff from health bodies for the new role of local security management specialist (LSMS). The LSMS staff will work with and assist the police in investigating cases of assault in order to increase the number of successful prosecutions. However, as an interim measure to cover the period until the LSMS staff are in place, the CFSMS will use its existing highly trained and professional operational service in this role; and a new legal protection unit to work with health bodies and provide them with advice on cost-effective methods of pursuing a wide range of sanctions against offenders, and also to work with the police and the Crown Prosecution Service to increase the prosecution rate of individuals who assault staff and professionals working in the NHS.