Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to protect NHS staff from verbal and physical abuse in the workplace.

National Health Service staff work very hard in a high pressure environment. Any abuse of staff is unacceptable and should not be tolerated.

Employers in the NHS are responsible for assessing risks to staff and addressing those risks. Detailed guidance to the NHS on this is available within the NHS Security Management Manual. Guidance includes advice on joint working between the NHS, the Police and the Crown Prosecution Service on responses to incidents of abuse or violence when these occur and on taking forward appropriate cases for prosecution.

Powers under the Criminal Justice and immigration Act 2008 provide for removal from hospitals of people causing nuisance or disturbance, before escalation of such behaviour.