Body Cameras Help Reduce Attacks on London Hospital Staff
“We want staff to feel safe and supported when they come to work,” said Dame Eileen Sills, chief nurse at Guy’s and St Thomas’s. “Any unprovoked violence and aggression towards staff is unacceptable.”
- By Jessica Davis
- January 08, 2019
Body cameras worn by hospital security guards are being credited with helping to reduce attacks on staff at London hospitals, reports the Evening Standard.
There were 219 physical attacks on nurses and other staff at Guy’s and St Thomas’s hospitals between April and September 2017, a decrease from 274 during the same period in 2016.
Security guards began wearing cameras in 2016 after the total number of attacks on nurses and other hospital staff—including verbal assaults—increased 27 percent to 850 between April and September of that year.
The hospital trust is working with the Met Police to encourage hospital staff to report incidents of threats and assault from patients and visitors. Staff have been advised on how to de-escalate potential incidents.
The number of patients excluded from the trust due to breaking “behavior contracts” issued to disruptive patients and visitors has increased from 28 to 29. Those patients will only receive emergency treatment. The number of behavior contracts issued increased from 140 to 236 during the same six months last year.
“We want staff to feel safe and supported when they come to work,” said Dame Eileen Sills, chief nurse at Guy’s and St Thomas’s. “Any unprovoked violence and aggression towards staff is unacceptable.”
In Denmark Hill, King’s College hospital also provides guards with cameras. According to a hospital spokeswoman, the hospital has not seen a decrease in assaults but the footage captured had helped to secure convictions in court.
The maximum jail sentence for assaulting NHS emergency workers was doubled to 12 months in September.
About the Author
Jessica Davis is the Associate Content Editor for 1105 Media.