Abuse and violence "still unacceptably high" in NHS

More than a quarter of NHS staff (27%) were harassed or abused by patients or their relatives last year, according to a large-scale survey by the Healthcare Commission.

The National NHS staff survey 2004, published last month, also found that 10% had received the same kind of treatment from other staff. Physical attacks by patients or their relatives were reported by 14%, and 1% said they had experienced violence from colleagues.

Public services union UNISON described the findings as "shocking". UNISON head of health Karen Jennings said that, while there had been no dramatic changes since the previous year's survey, it was "very disturbing to see that the levels of violence and harassment were still unacceptably high".

The findings draw into question the effectiveness of the "zero tolerance" policy adopted throughout the NHS. Jennings said: "We fully support zero tolerance in trusts, but we would like to see violent offenders prosecuted and facing tougher penalties in the courts."

A further finding from the survey is that over a third of NHS staff (36%) are suffering from stress. Staff shortages, intensive workloads and the rise in violence and aggression are felt to be key causes.

The report can be downloaded from www.healthcarecommission.org.uk