Even during the Coronavirus crisis, NHS staff who work for East Kent Hospital University Foundation Trust (EKHUFT) are being physically and verbally attacked.
It is not part of their job to put up with abuse in any form, especially in these most difficult of times.
We and you should be horrified that members of the public would abuse or physically assault a member of our NHS staff given the unprecedented circumstances they are working under.
The number of patients who are either being aggressive towards EKHUFT NHS staff between April 2015 and March 2019 fluctuated. However as the data shows between April 2019 to March 2020 there has been a slight increase of aggressive behaviour toward EKHUFT NHS staff, exceeding 400 for the first time ever..
The number of physical assaults by patients on EKHUFT staff has steadily increased between April 2015 – March 2020 as the chart below indicates.
More staff are attacked in the wards or near wards than any other place within the five hospitals run by EKHUFT, who serve a population of approx 695,000 people, as is clear from the chart below. That’s followed by treatment areas, then A & E, and to make it clear, some of these attacks have happened during the coronavirus outbreak which started when the two Chinese nationals in York were quarantined on the 31st January 2020.
Staff have had to take sick days due to being assaulted and also seek counselling for the trauma they suffered during these attacks. We believe such behaviour by the public is not acceptable.
All NHS staff who work for EKHUFT or in the NHS across the country deserve to work in a safe, caring and compassionate environment.
They deserve our respect given the current national emergency. They also deserve a working environment that supports their physical and mental health, and helps them be the very best they can be, given the current conditions they are working under.
So come on people, clapping for the NHS is one thing, treating them with respect in these unprecedented times is another and god knows they deserve our respect right now.
The Shepwayvox Team
Stay At Home – Protect The NHS – Save Lives
