Violence in the NHS

I was deeply saddened to read a BBC news article, reporting that violence costs the NHS £100m per year, equivalent to the salaries of 4500 nurses, or more than 800,00 paramedic call-outs.

I really can't even begin to fathom what people are thinking of when they launch a violent attack on people who are simply trying to help them. It truly beggars belief. Please, don't anyone dare to offer alcohol as an excuse, as, as a strict non-drinker, I get enraged at the excuse of drink being given as justifiable reason for the array of anti-social behaviours. It isn't. There is no legal obligation to drink and so it's no excuse -- period! I worked out that I become a complete moron when I drank, over a decade ago. If I can work it out, others can too. But I digress...

This behaviour is one of the worst I think I've come across in some time. Lord knows there is precious little incentive already for our doctors and nurses to get out of bed in the mornings and perform what must be one of the most challenging jobs imaginable. I can't even begin to imagine how this constant threat of aggression must compound that issue.

I'm a firm believer in and supporter of the NHS. I hope that we can get it back on the right track. My fear is that with the focus on the constant problems it has, and nobody can deny that it has them, that someone, somewhere along the line will pull the plug on it. Inevitable anyway, I believe, but I happen to feel that it has a good few years left in it, if we can get rid of those stupid targets and let the hospitals and surgeries do what they do best -- heal people!

I couldn't agree more. Doctors & nurses do a wonderful job, even without the aggression it would be hard enough, but having to put up with people attacking them is utterly unacceptable.
If I had my way such people would be physically removed from the hospital and taken directly to the nearest Police cell block.
That would still require money being spent but hopefully not 100m a year!!

I think it's all pretty disgusting! They're there to help them, but they don't want it, so why aren't they thrown out of the hospital then!!!!???? I wouldn't waste my prescious time on them if I were a doctor or nurse. In fact, I don't think they do nowadays do they??

I was in hospital a couple of years ago, and when the nurse came round to do the b.p. check at 6.00 am. there was a bloke opposite me who started throwing his arms around and shouting abuse at her (a drunk!!!) so she put her hands in the air, yelled over to the other nurse that she wasn't going to check him coz he had shown abuse. So I'm assuming that there is now some sort of law, that if a patient shows any abuse they can refuse to treat them??

Re all the paperwork too. Since I hadn't been in hospital for many years, I really noticed a difference with the general nursing care (and the lack of ward cleaners!!!). We were basically just left in our beds to heal ourselves. Although the nurses looked very busy all of the time, to-ing and fro-ing to their desk, not one of them attended any of the people in my ward, they were pen pushing and talking to consultants/doctors. In fact, a poor old lady of 80, in the next bed, had been rushed in during the night for an emergency stomach ulcer op, and she was gasping for a drink but couldn't move or sit up. I had heard the doctor say she could have sips of water, but she went ALL DAY before I actually called a nurse for her to let her have a drink!!! I can't believe what is happening in there nowadays, I really can't. Personally, I would rather pay for any treatment, and my opinion is, do away with this farce altogether, and let us pay for our treatment. There will always be treatment for those who can't afford it, like there is in the States! Don't tell me I can pay for it anyway, coz I can't, been there. You have to be referred by a doctor first, and that way you have to take the NHS route and wait for a consultant at the hospital to see you before you can take the private route anyway. I tried all that with my husband when I wanted him to have a scan, which he never ever got! Yet these drug addicts, drunks, abusive people get scans willy nilly coz of their usual head injuries - that's what makes me sick!!!!!!!

Helena54 sitting on the fence as usual I see.

I tell ya, if I had my way, idiots who get drunk and then collapse on the streets would be left there! I detest excessive drinkers with an unhealthy passion!

No, not sitting on the fence???!! Like I said, I personally would like to do away with the NHS altogether and do it the way they do in the States. Our NHS is an absolute sham at the moment, people are dying before they manage to get treated, because all the doctors would prefer to earn from treating private patients, and fit in the NHS patients as and when they please!

I totally agree, I would leave those drunks and drug addicts where they were, lying in the gutter! I can't believe the trouble they go to, to pick them up, PERSUADE them to go in an ambulance, when there's some poor innocent little old man dying somewhere else cause they're too busy dealing with this scum! I'm not on any fence, I'm on the side of the people who deserve to get treated!

I was joking, Helena. I love firm views!

...... and another thing!!!!! We have a scan at our local hospital. Bought and paid for by the NHS, or maybe some charity or other, BUT, nobody ever gets to use it if they need scanning whilst in hospital, BECAUSE, it is too booked up with private patients using it!!!!! Now where's the sense in that??? That is a fact! One of the nurses told me when I was in there, that although 5 doctors, including my own GP wanted me to have a scan, it was on my bed "log" that I was to have one, she said it was highly unlikely I would get it coz it was always in use WITH PRIVATE PATIENTS!!!!???? Needless to say I did ask the question Why????

So, let's get this right. This is an NHS hospital scan. Private patients who are paying private doctors get to use it, when it was put there for the use of NHS patients??? I really question that!!!!

Oooooooh, I'm all steamed up now!!!

No offence taken GSDLover by the way, I realised you might be joking, sorry if I appeared aggressive in my original answer, but this subject gets my back up!

Oooooh, marry me! lol

I am a firm believer that if people are abusive and violent (unless it's part of their medical condition I know some drugs administered can cause behavioural changes) should not be treated at all.
After all if it wasn't for all these people there wouldn't be an NHS and we wouldn't have the healthcare we do have.

Actually, I'm starting to think that there should be a "one strike and you're out" rule. You abuse NHS staff, that's a decision YOU yourself make, and so you should immediately forfeit your right to any future treatment on the NHS. (Obviously, medically induced violence aside.) For the liberals, perhaps a five year ban would do, for starters...