Ulster Unionist Health Spokesperson, Jo-Anne Dobson MLA, has expressed her shock after it was revealed that there were 24,594 recorded verbal and physical assaults on Health and Social Care staff over the last three years.
The Upper Bann MLA said:
“The dedication demonstrated night and day by our health workers is extraordinary. Unfortunately however not only are they being forced to work under the increasingly chaotic circumstances of burgeoning waiting times and growing patient anxiety, but now their principal aim of protecting the public is being hampered by the requirement to first protect themselves.
“Through an Assembly Question to the Health Minister the Ulster Unionist Party has been able to reveal that there have been on average over 8,000 assaults on Northern Ireland’s health workers over each of the last three years. This includes assaults on hospital workers, as well as personnel within the Ambulance Service and Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service.
“I, like the vast majority of people across Northern Ireland, will be disgusted at these outrageous figures. Our health staff and emergency workers go to work every day to help people and earn an honest living, not to be abused and assaulted.
“There should be a zero tolerance approach taken to assaults on our health workers and I therefore hope that the people behind the almost 25,000 assaults in the last three years have received appropriate punishments.”
