Harassment, Violent Residents and Visitors: Protecting Staff

Successive crime surveys have shown a dramatic increase in the number of work related incidents of violence. The 1996 British Crime Survey confirmed that health professionals are at a higher risk from work related violence than the general population.

In October 1999 the Department of Health launched the NHS Zero Tolerance Zone Campaign to send out the message to the public that violence against staff working in the NHS will no longer be tolerated. However, staff in care homes are often just as likely to suffer harassment or violence.

Employers are under a common law duty of care for the health and safety of their employees and also a statutory duty under section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. In practice this means that employers are required to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of their employees.