Lone nurses need promised protection

Half of nurses who work alone think the threat of violence or abuse has increased over the last two years, and more than a third have been assaulted or harassed over the same period, according to a survey by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN).

Launching its “You’re not alone” campaign this month, the RCN called on the government to honour its commitment to protect lone workers. Although the government promised in 2005 to introduce the Identicom system, which enables individuals to call discreetly for assistance and records verbal abuse for use in court, only 3% of NHS trusts have invested in the system to date.