AQW 21535/22-27 Written question to the Minister of Health
To ask the Minister of Health to detail the number of attacks on healthcare staff in hospitals reported in each of the last five years, broken down by Health and Social Care Trust.
Asked by Claire Sugden MLA on 29 January 2025
- Answered
- Written
- Tabled
- 29 January 2025
- Answer due by
- 13 February 2025
- Answered
- 12 February 202514 days after tabling
- Department
- Department of Health
- Priority question
- No
Answer
The number of attacks on healthcare staff in hospitals reported in each of the last five financial years is shown in the table below.
| Year | BHSCT | NHSCT | NIAS | SEHSCT | SHSCT | WHSCT | Total |
| 2019/20 | 3321 | 857 | 234 | 655 | 1525 | 675 | 7267 |
| 2020/21 | 3395 | 1100 | 340 | 643 | 1323 | 1115 | 7916 |
| 2021/22 | 3284 | 1151 | 391 | 1028 | 1213 | 1192 | 8259 |
| 2022/23 | 2890 | 918 | 381 | 1064 | 1443 | 1068 | 7764 |
| 2023/24 | 2811 | 1198 | 457 | 1228 | 1829 | 833 | 8356 |
| Total | 15701 | 5224 | 1803 | 4618 | 7333 | 4883 | 39562 |
Five-year figures on attacks on staff were last published by the Department on 12 December 2023 as part of the announcement launching the Violence and Aggression in the Workplace Framework. They were figures which included physical attacks only and included all HSC locations, not just hospitals.