To ask the Minister of Health to detail (i) any measures being taken to improve the safety of healthcare staff in hospitals; and (ii) whether he has plans to introduce stronger protections for healthcare staff facing abuse or physical assault while on duty.

I recognise and acknowledge the issues around Violence and Aggression that Healthcare staff have to deal with in the course of carrying out their duties. Any form of violence or aggression towards staff is unacceptable and the Department will continue to work with Employers and Trade Unions to ensure that appropriate protections are in place for staff.

HSC trust employers aim to provide a safe environment for all staff and service users. Each trust has dedicated security staff who maintain static posts and perform routine patrols to try and deter incidents but also to urgently respond to all requests for assistance with violent and aggressive persons as best possible.

Trusts also have CCTV and access control systems in place as an additional deterrent to deny unauthorised entry.

Security staff all receive the same best practice safety intervention training to de-escalate situations in the first instance and also on how perform restraints as safely as possible for all involved as a last resort.

Every service is required to carry out their own internal risk assessments and seek practical advice for management of aggression teams to identify training needs and additional support. This can range from basic courses in disengagement techniques to skilled courses in how to deescalate situations and perform restraints in a safe manner.

This can also help identify if staff need any personal protective equipment (PPE) to help protect them. Some examples of this would be body armour, slash / spike & bite resistant gloves or sleeves, protective glasses and panic alarms.

NIAS is committed to doing everything that it can to keep its staff safe. The high incidence of violence and aggression towards staff is recorded on the Trust’s Corporate Risk Register and in response, NIAS has introduced a range of measures to help protect staff physical safety and well-being.

This includes provision of body-worn cameras which are available to paramedics attending calls. These act as a potential deterrent and allow staff to capture video footage of instances of violence and aggression.

NIAS has a dedicated Violence Reduction Officer in post whose role is to raise awareness about the risks and ensure that appropriate steps are taken following an incident, including that staff have access to psychological support.

My Department launched the HSC Violence and Aggression in the Workplace Framework on 12 December 2023 which was developed in collaboration with both Employers and Trade Unions and which all HSC organisations are required to adopt in respect to development of their individual organisation’s policies and procedures.

This framework enables Trusts to ensure appropriate protections are in place to mitigate the risk of incidents of violence and aggression to staff and that reduction and prevention strategies are reviewed and implemented on an ongoing basis.

There are no plans to introduce further measures as the current regional framework allows for each HSC employer to implement various arrangements to protect staff, taking into account the diverse range of working environments and supported by appropriate risk assessments according to the setting.