§ Lord Aveburyasked Her Majesty's Government:
When they last issued advice on the management of violent patients in accident and emergency departments of hospitals; and whether they will conduct a review of the problem, in consultation with the British Association for Accident and Emergency Medicine. [HL1527]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Warner)The Department of Health issued guidance on security in accident and emergency departments in June 1997 through the NHS Zero Tolerance Campaign. In September 1997 further advice was issued on how to deal with violence and aggression against NHS staff. In addition, the A&E Modernisation Programme enabled departments to be refurbished and upgraded which included improved security measures designed to better protect staff from violence and abuse.
41WAThe Counter Fraud and Security Management Service was launched in April 2003 with a remit that included tackling violence against staff and professionals working in the NHS. The strategy document, A Professional Approach to Managing Security in the NHS, was launched by the Secretary of State for Health in December 2003. Secretary of State directions were issued in November 2003 which put in place a legal framework for tackling violence in the NHS and introduced a range of practical proactive and reactive measures to address this issue.
There are no current plans to conduct a further review.