New Guidelines for Prosecutors Focuses on NHS Workers’ Safety Thursday, Mar 18 2010
Doing Business and Health Improvement and Legal Counsel Tips 4:49 am
The sixth revision of the Code for Crown Prosecutors has incorporated amendments that will directly benefit all NHS workers. This Code, that serves as a guideline for prosecutors, is issued by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
The NHS Security Management Service (NHS SMS), an organisation created in 2003 to work with polices and guidelines relating to the security management within the NHS in
The latest edition of the Code extends protection to all those public workers who work in the arenas of social welfare, healthcare and emergency services. Initially, only the police, prison officers and nurses came under public workers with reference to such workers being victims of assault. Statistics show that those healthcare and social welfare professionals who work in the spheres of mental health and leaning disabilities are most vulnerable to assaults. This edition of the Code will thus afford them justice in the case of assaults. NHS Security Management Service’s head, Richard Hampton has specifically stated that since these people face the maximum number of assaults, with this revision, the number of convictions in this department will increase.
The period of 2008-2009 saw 54,758 thousand assaults. From this number, 992 individuals were convicted. The year before that saw 941 convictions in 53,523 reported assaults.
Richard Hampton also said that since the Code has now expanded its purview, the number of convictions for assaults against NHS workers will also rise. He said that the NHS SMS, like always, will urge all NHS bodies to report any and all assaults on their staff and to press for the prosecution of all offenders.
Make sure your organisation is aware of its health and safety obligations and has a clear understanding of its statutory duties with a well regarded NEBOSH National General Certificate course; designed to help those with health and safety responsibilities to carry out their duties at work more effectively and to protect the organisations for which they work
Comments Off