Protecting ambulance staff against violence and aggression in the workplace

A quarter of all workplace violence occurs in healthcare environments (Iennaco et al, 2013) and ambulance staff are the most vulnerable group of all, with 31% reporting the experience of physical violence from service users, their families and other members of the public in 2014 (NHS England, 2014). This is more than double the number reported by other NHS staff (14%) and interestingly, even higher than rates reported by those working in mental health in this particular report (17%) (NHS England, 2014), despite mental healthcare settings being among the most dangerous workplaces by far (NHS Protect, 2013).

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recently commissioned updated guidance from the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health (NCCMH) on the short-term management of violence and aggression that was published earlier this year. The guidance emphasises the importance of appropriate organisational policies, training and risk assessment skills, as well as relevant support post incident for staff in order for them to effectively deal with its physical and psychological consequences (NCCMH, 2015). However, the problem of violence and aggression against ambulance staff and other health professionals is not limited to the UK and is in fact a global issue. South Australia (SA) Health is campaigning against this very issue, reporting that SA Ambulance has seen a 74% rise over the last 3 years in incidents such as being spat on, physical assault such as kicking, biting and punching, threats of violence, and aggressive behaviour sometimes involving use of a weapon (SA Health, 2015a).