SAFETY & SECURITY SYSTEMS
To the Point
Pinpoint, developer of personal attack alarm systems, discusses how the risk of personal assault in the workplace can be minimised for health and social care workers.
Nobody should feel unsafe at work, including healthcare workers. Yet, according to a survey by UNISON, the number of personnel who have been victim to attacks by patients is rising. In English NHS Trusts, the number of personal attacks in 2016-17 were up by nearly 10% compared to the year before. Nurses, paramedics and mental health staff are subjected to the most attacks.
A lack of staff and delays in urgent treatment are oſten cited as the main reason for the increase. As the waiting times in A&E departments across the country and waiting lists for mental health assessments continue to grow, more patients have reached crisis point when they finally get treatment.
Mental health professionals are seven and a half times more likely to be assaulted than other healthcare professionals. Patients who present with serious mental health problems may not be in hospital voluntarily. They are oſten confused, unaware of the circumstances of their admission and
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can unintentionally cause incidents. Staff are frequently confronted with their frustration and sometimes anger. While dealing with mentally ill and/or aggressive patients will undoubtedly always carry an element of risk, it should be made as safe as possible.
The government has pledged additional funds for the NHS which should help to increase staffing levels. But even with additional staff, there will be situations when lone nurses are confronted by aggressive patients. In some situations, a single trusted carer may even be more effective in calming a patient than a team of nurses which can be perceived as a threat.
Most mental health facilities now have a personal attack alarm system installed. Triggered with a small person-worn device, the alarm is raised instantly and delivers information on the severity and exact location of the incident to a nominated response team. Help is summoned quickly, before the incident escalates.
www.tomorrowscare.co.uk
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