A law aimed at protecting emergency workers should be strengthened to cover all health workers, the UK’s biggest union UNISON has said.
The Emergency Workers (Obstruction) Act, which comes into force today (20/2/07), means that anyone who gets in the way of a worker responding to an emergency situation can now be prosecuted and fined up to £5,000.
Violence against emergency workers can already be dealt with under existing laws, such as actual bodily harm. In response to an apparent rise in attacks on public services workers the government also recently issued sentencing guidelines to direct courts to impose tougher sentences for offences committed against emergency workers.
Emergency staff covered under this new offence include ambulance workers, coastguards and lifeboat crews, firefighters, people transporting blood, organs or equipment on behalf of the NHS.
But UNISON, which represents some 440,000 health professionals across the UK, say such laws should cover all health professionals, and that the punishment meted out by the courts should be a lot firmer.
Head of Health for UNISON, Karen Jennings, said:
ÒWe do welcome and support these new laws, but we urgently need to include all health workers to give them extra protection in the line of duty. Despite some progress being made – especially in the field of prevention and training – still too many UNISON members are telling us that they feel like they have been hit twice, because the penalties meted out by the courts are so paltry.Ó
Currently health workers including nurses, doctors, X-Ray technicians, clerical staff among others are not covered by extra protective laws, but are often in the firing line of patient anger and threatening behaviour.
In a recent survey of UNISON members the union was told by EVERY respondent that they, or a colleague, had been directly affected by some form of violence. 91 per cent reported serious verbal abuse; 28% had been threatened with a weapon; 52% had been a victim of violence but had not required medical attention; however, 39 per cent did require medical assistance following a violent incident.
In November 2006 the NHS Security Management Service reported that there were 58,695 physical assaults against NHS staff in England – one for every 23 workers. There were just 1,690 fewer attacks during 20004-5.
ENDS