Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the number of days taken as sick leave by care workers who were attacked by patients in 2017-18.

Skills for Care estimate that care workers took 5.2 days off sick on average in 2017/18. The Department does not hold the reasons for days being taken off sick.

Adult social care employers have a responsibility to provide a safe environment for service users and employees and to protect people, as far as is reasonable, from violence and aggression at work. No member of staff should be expected to endure abuse or suffer fear from physical attack or threat as part of their job.

The Departments delivery partner, Skills for Care, has worked with adult social care employers to ensure they are able to minimise the risk to their workforce by effectively training and developing their staff to be able to support people through positive behaviour support. In addition, Skills for Care has published a range of guidance and resources to support social care organisations in managing the risks arising from violence and aggression.