NHS: Abuse of Nurses Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateBaroness Watkins of Tavistock
Main Page: Baroness Watkins of Tavistock (Crossbench - Life peer)Department Debates - View all Baroness Watkins of Tavistock's debates with the Department of Health and Social Care
(2 years, 4 months ago)
Lords ChamberThe noble Lord is absolutely right that we have identified the issue, and the NHS is working on a number of plans. All of us abhor any abuse of nurses or indeed any other NHS staff. The NHS has looked into this and has seen that many cases of violence against NHS staff are committed by individuals who are in a mental health crisis, or suffering from dementia or other neurological conditions, rather than the classic perception of attacks on staff by the public. The NHS has not only the violence prevention and reduction programme but a number of other initiatives to try to tackle this unwarranted issue.
My Lords, I declare my interests as outlined in the register. I particularly want to raise the issue of nurses on shifts who are having difficulty parking both near the hospital for a reasonable cost—that cost was removed during Covid, which made life much easier for them—and in the community, where we have reports of them being abused for parking near patients’ homes. What strategy will the Government achieve to reduce this stress and the associated verbal violence?