NHS Staff unhappy, survey shows

1.00.00pm UTC (GMT +0000) Fri 30th Mar 2007

Health Services

The Healthcare Commission has said it is worried about the level of violence and harassment in the NHS, as it published as it published a survey of staff in trusts across England. The figures show that last year 11% of hospital staff experienced physical violence from patients and 26% suffered bullying, harassment or abuse. The survey also found that only 42% would be happy with standards at their own establishment, and showed continuing concern about lack of handwashing facilities, undermining the government's drive to combat MRSA.

Liberal Democrat Health spokesperson Norman Lamb said "Ministers must act now to crack down on violence in hospitals. Proper training to deal with potential threats is essential, with police taking a more robust approach to cases of violence against staff. Hospital hygiene is vital to prevent killer infections such as MRSA. It is disgraceful that so little improvement has been shown since last year."