Hartlepool hospital trust staff abused: Workers release new video messages as assaults are on the rise

Staff at North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Hospital Foundation Trust have spoken out once more on the impact of violent behaviour towards them in a series of videos.

Their message is: “You wouldn’t behave aggressively in everyday situations, so don’t behave like that in health care settings.”

Doctors, nurses, physiotherapists and administrators for the trust switched from their day-to-day roles to star in a number of brief videos highlighting the issues faced by NHS staff when members of the public become violent and aggressive while in their care.

Julie Gillon, chief executive of North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Our staff are here to help.

"They are hardworking, committed and compassionate professionals. They are not here to receive verbal or physical abuse.”

“We have a zero-tolerance approach to violence and abuse towards our staff, or indeed anyone within out Trust.

"We will report all incidents to the police and will always push for the maximum punishment.”

The first clip shows a gym goer who becomes aggressive with a personal trainer then fading to the same person but as a patient receiving physiotherapy.

In a second, a client verbally abuses her hairdresser before the situation switches to a nurse dressing a wound in hospital.

Helen Hall, a Trust clinical administrator who appears in the gym video, was once punched in the face when working at a GP’s surgery a patient could not get an urgent prescription.

“He just leaned through the window and punched me in the face,” said Helen.

“It was just an awful experience. Aggression in the workplace happens a lot.”

Other staff in the videos have also been held up against a wall by the neck, had a mug of coffee thrown at them and seen colleagues reduced to tears.

A Trust survey showed 15.2% of staff have experienced violent or aggressive behaviour from patients or visitors.

Violence against NHS workers is at its highest for five years with an average of 200 physical assaults reported every day.

The videos can be viewed on YouTube and the Trust will release soon.

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