No excuse for abuse

We’re a team together and none of us expected she would react the way she did. It was easy to fill in the form and report the incident on the Datix system. Security have always been really supportive in ensuring we report any incidents.

We have a zero-tolerance approach to abuse against staff and, since the start of the year, 374 violent and abusive incidents have been reported by LUHFT colleagues who have been supported throughout each occurrence.

In an aim to remind visitors and patients to show staff respect and that there is ‘no excuse for abuse’, colleagues are being encouraged to report any incidents they experience in the workplace. Taking into account patients effected by a clinical factor, we will always attempt to prosecute anyone who wilfully abuses our colleagues or another patient. We spoke to Jean Cooney, HCA at the Royal who was supported after an attack by a patient, she said: “I just wasn’t expecting it, I’m usually good at reading people and building up a rapport with patients so they’re calm and relaxed. But this came out of the blue because I thought she’d left the room.

“Initially the patient was brought into the Royal A&E on a Saturday night by police and was quite erratic, but with our Security Team, we quickly calmed her down and got her settled. Security wouldn’t have left her if they thought she would hurt someone or herself.

“When I went back 20 minutes later, the patient wasn’t in the bed so we thought she’d left the hospital. I was then bringing an old lady to wait in the room and I just saw the wheels of the drip stand coming towards me. “The patient was hitting me repeatedly with the drip stand, she was just running and screaming at me. Luckily the police, security and paramedics where all nearby and intervened. It was completely unexpected and unprovoked. She then went on to assault the police, so a full police presence attended the Royal. “We’re a team together and none of us expected she would react the way she did. It was easy to fill in the form and report the incident on the Datix system. Security have always been really supportive in ensuring we report any incidents.”

Please contact the security team if you witness or are experiencing violence in the workplace.

Aintree Security Team: 0151 529 3735 Broadgreen Security Team: 0151 282 6500 Royal Liverpool Security Team: 0151 706 2228 Trust Violence Reduction Lead: 0151 706 3999