Over 30,000 attacks recorded on nurses in Northern Ireland in five years

We can reveal there's been more than 30,000 attacks on nurses across Northern Ireland's five health trusts in the last five years.

Through a Freedom of Information Request, we have discovered the majority of assaults were physical.

However, there has been thousands of incidents of verbal abuse and hundreds of reports of sexual assaults.

The attacks range from verbal threats, indecent exposure, biting and even broken bones.

Rita Devlin, the Director of the Royal College of Nursing, said it's nothing new, but the abuse has gotten a lot ‘nastier’.

She said busy emergency departments and long waiting times can make a tense environment even more stressful: "There's an environment created... violence then becomes the way that people deal with the frustrations that they are feeling for the lack of care or lack of movement within the organisation."

"We shouldn't say it’s part of the job, but it is difficult when nurses see that constantly, and they say they don't want to stay."

She told us just how violent some of the attacks can be: "We had a few nurses that had a fractured femur. Now, to break someone's femur takes a lot of force. We have fractured arms, head injuries, that would be the upper level of the violence.”

"To say because people were high on drugs or drink that that was a reason, it's not. It's not an acceptable excuse in my book."

"I think there is an underlying societal issue. There is this sense of 'do things the way I want them done' or you'll be at the end of a tirade of abuse."

She said nurses do not feel safe: "One of the nurses that I spoke to… said going to work was like living in a domestic violence relationship. That she didn't know from one day to the next that she would be safe or not. That's horrific. That we are asking people to work in that environment."

"One person’s right to be seen and treated overrides another person’s right to be safe."

The Department of Health said it condemns all violence and aggression towards Health and Social Care staff, and its dedicated framework aims to ensure a consistent, zero-tolerance approach.

A Department of Health spokesperson said: “Violence and aggression towards Health and Social Care staff are completely unacceptable. The Department of Health takes these matters extremely seriously and launched a new framework to support HSC employers in tackling these behaviours towards our staff in December 2023.

“The framework sets out a clear, consistent approach for preventing and responding to incidents of violence, ensuring staff have access to support, that incidents are properly reported, and that action is taken when staff are harmed or threatened.

“Since its launch, all HSC organisations and key stakeholders have been working to embed the framework’s principles and support local implementation. We are clear that creating a culture of zero tolerance towards violence and aggression in the workplace is not a one-off action, but a sustained commitment. Every member of staff has the right to feel safe and respected at work, and we will continue to take all necessary steps to protect and support our workforce.

“We continue to monitor uptake and impact across the system, and we are actively engaging with frontline staff and leadership teams to ensure the framework delivers meaningful, long-term change.”

Rita Devlin wants to see proper sentencing for people who are found guilty of any kind of abuse on staff. She told us it is often repeat offenders who think they can get away with it: "If somebody comes in and is violent to a member of staff and gets away with it, they will do it again. Other businesses have the ability to refuse to service to person or bar them... within the health service, that is not happening."

In response, Justice Minister Naomi Long said she intends to introduce an offence of assaulting a person engaged in providing a public service, performing a public duty, or providing services to the public.

Her statement reads: “It is simply unacceptable that anyone is attacked or threatened while at work; it is even more abhorrent when it happens to those who are delivering crucial and lifesaving services to the public.

“In light of increasing concerns about assaults on a range of workers who serve the public, including nurses, I intend to introduce an offence of assaulting a person engaged in providing a public service, performing a public duty, or providing services to the public.

“The new offence will carry a higher maximum penalty in the magistrates’ courts than that currently available for the offence of common assault, which applies regardless of the victim’s occupation.

“Alongside this new offence, I intend to make assault on such a person in more serious cases a statutory aggravating factor, meaning the courts will be required to reflect that fact in their sentencing decisions.

“I intend to bring this new offence forward via my proposed Sentencing Bill which will be introduced to the Assembly by the end of this year.”

You can hear more about this story in our bulletins: https://hellorayo.co.uk/cool-fm

You can see the Department of Health's Violence and Aggression in the Workplace HSC Framework here: https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/sites/default/files/publications/health/doh-Violence-and-Aggression-in-the-Workplace-HSC-Framework.pdf