South Lanarkshire Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) issued a media release to state that any form of violence and aggression towards staff will not be tolerated.
Mark Kennedy, general manager for Salus Occupational Health and Return to Work Services, said “The consequences of violence and aggression towards staff working in mental health, acute, community and health and social care settings not only impacts those involved, it affects their family as well as other patients and visitors who witness such incidents.
“Staff can access support to either prevent or manage incidents involving violence and aggression. This includes post-incident support through local incident reviews and debriefings as well as access to counselling and occupational health services.”
Another significant support service for staff is the Prevention and Management of Violence and Aggression Service (PaMoVA). The service employs two full-time trainers and advisors, Andrew Campbell and Stephen Wheeler, who have extensive experience in developing, delivering training and providing practical advice and guidance.
Andrew and Stephen have worked within healthcare for over 30 years including roles within the mental health and learning disability service. Both know first-hand what it is like to experience acts of violence and aggression which continues to motivate them to help others.
Stephen Wheeler said: “Violence and aggression towards staff can come from many different sources including service users, patients, relatives and visitors.
“Three levels of violence and aggression training are available to staff. The first is through a LearnPro module which promotes awareness, personal safety and de-escalation.
“The next level of training is a half- day practical course on de-escalation and breakaway techniques. The third level of training is a two-day practical course for staff who require more complex training to intervene through non injurious restraint techniques. Each year almost 6000 staff participate in PaMoVA training.”
Kay Sandilands, director of human resources, said: “We are determined to make sure our staff feel supported and confident to report acts of violence and aggression which can range from verbal aggression or spitting to physical assaults such as punching, kicking or a hate crime. Regardless of the type of incident, there is no place for any type of abuse.
“All our staff should be able to come into work without fear of violence, injury or abuse and NHS Lanarkshire will continue to work with Police Scotland and the Procurator Fiscal Service to support staff experiencing acts of violence and aggression.”
Additional Support
Staff can also access the NHS Lanarkshire ‘Prevention and Management of Violence and Aggression Policy’ which provides more detailed guidance through FirstPort or the NHS Lanarkshire Policy Portal https://www.nhslanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk/corporate-policies/.
If you would like further information, support or advice on any aspect of this article, please contact Andrew Campbell (Andrew.Campbell@lanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk) or Stephen Wheeler (Steven.Wheeler@lanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk ) or call on 01236 707197.
