Protection NHS staff must have

From the Telegraph & Argus, first published Thursday 3rd Mar 2005.

The announcement by House of Commons leader Peter Hain that new measures are being considered to protect hospital staff from violence, in the wake of our "End the Abuse" campaign, is of course to be welcomed. Equipping doctors, nurses and other hospital staff with personal alarms and trialling state-of-the-art recording devices to trap on tape anyone making threats of violence are sensible ideas to reduce the danger of attack.

And the suggestion from Mr Hain that ministers could consider new laws specifically designed to stamp out violence against hospital staff by making it an offence to interfere with nurses and other public servants trying to carry out life-saving duties sounds good on the face of it.

Hospital staff, who often come into contact with the public in extreme circumstances, are particularly vulnerable. So, too, are firefighters and police officers. It is right that they should be given the best protection the law can provide. They are all working to safeguard the public and should be given the respect they deserve. And if some members of the public won't show them that respect voluntarily, they should be obliged to by the law.

However there are already laws designed to protect individuals from attack, covering such offences as common assault and grievous bodily harm. Surely those also cover assaults on hospital staff.

We must wait and see if the Government can produce measures which will genuinely protect these people - via tougher penalties, for instances, and with the help of proper enforcement - or is just indulging in a spot of pre-election political spin.

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