Three UNISON members working in a care home received compensation totalling £60,000 after being attacked and assaulted by a service user.
The three members working as night workers in South London in March 2014, suffered both physical and psychological injuries as result of the attack. They were forced to lock themselves in the staff toilets to avoid further injury.
This incident occurred after several previous incidents involving the same service user. Despite this the employer had not carried out an adequate risk assessment.
They were supported by their UNISON branch in their return to work and Thompsons solicitors negotiated compensation for their personal injuries amounting to £60,000 in total.
UNISON head of health and safety Tracey Harding commented: “Although the branch were pleased that UNISON was able to support these members, this incident underlines the importance of robust risk assessment.”
Advice on what employers should do to manage and prevent these assaults, and how UNISON branches can campaign and organise around this issue, can be found in the UNISON guide “It’s not part of the job”, available from the UNISON Online Catalogue or download the guide here.