There have been 75 incidents of violence and aggression against staff by patients, relatives and visitors.
SHARE:
Concerns have been raised after an east London hospital trust announced a campaign that will give their staff more body cameras.
Listen to this article – powered by AI:
The Barking, Havering and Redbridge University NHS Trust (BHRUT) stated that they aimed to bring in 60 new body-worn cameras for their staff in the A&E and frailty units, alongside the body cams already in use within their hospitals.
The campaign will also make it easier to ban abusive patients from the hospital, as according to the trust, only one person has been banned from their hospitals in the last five years.
The trust, which oversees Queen’s Hospital and King George Hospital, found that in January 2024, there were 75 incidents of violence and aggression against staff by patients, relatives and visitors, a rise from 35 in January 2021.
Queens Hospital in Romford. Credit: Wikimedia Commons
The Met Police found that since April 2023, the highest number of offences have been committed in Redbridge, with 35 reports. Among other medical facilities, the borough includes the King George Hospital in Goodmayes.
‘He aggressively sought me out during a shift’
Saint Christopher Alade, a nurse at the John Howard Centre at Barking spoke about his experiences dealing with an abusive patient.
He says: “Despite staff awareness and attempts to assist, he aggressively sought me out during a shift.
“He spat and physically assaulted me while I was engaged with another patient.”
The BHRUT’s Chief Executive Matthew Trainor stated that staff should not be subject to any sort of abuse, stating, “our message couldn’t be any simple; no abuse, no excuse.”
Body camera company Reveal claims that the use of body cameras can help to reduce aggression. They found that when patients saw a front facing body camera on health workers they had “a calming effect”, which caused patients to behave appropriately within the hospital.
‘We need incident data to be recorded on a national level’
However, there is some concern over the use of body cameras within hospitals. Alade also emphasised the issues regarding privacy when body cameras are being used in psychiatric hospitals.
He says: “It creates a constant surveillance environment where personal moments, vulnerabilities and sensitive actions are captured without consent.
“This intrusion can erode the trust between healthcare providers and patients, hinder open conversation and potentially deter individuals from seeking care.”
The use of body cameras is not unique to the BHRUT, and they have been used in many hospitals in London to try and reduce violence from patients. However, Alade believes that body cameras don’t help to reduce violence and that more needs to be done by the NHS.
Credit: Getty Images
“The NHS needs to allocate resources not only for increased security, but also for strategies to handle and de-escalate situations, ensuring the protection of staff from violent actions.”
Additionally, a Royal College of Nursing spokesperson gave a comment emphasising that there must be more support for staff reporting incidents.
“We need incident data to be recorded at a national level to truly understand the scale of the issue, so plans can be made to prevent attacks from happening in the first place,” they said.
“Employers must do more to protect staff and create an environment where they can report incidents.”
City News reached out to the BHRUT for a comment but they have yet to respond.
Submitted Article
Headline
Short Headline
Standfirst
Published Article
HeadlineConcerns over use of body cams by east London hospital trust staff
Short HeadlineConcerns over body cam usage in east London hospitals
StandfirstAn additional 60 body cams will be introduced to two hospitals, but privacy concerns have been raised by some.
Concerns have been raised after an east London hospital trust announced a campaign that will give their staff more body cameras.
Listen to this article – powered by AI:
The Barking, Havering and Redbridge University NHS Trust (BHRUT) stated that they aimed to bring in 60 new body-worn cameras for their staff in the A&E and frailty units, alongside the body cams already in use within their hospitals.
The campaign will also make it easier to ban abusive patients from the hospital, as according to the trust, only one person has been banned from their hospitals in the last five years.
The trust, which oversees Queen’s Hospital and King George Hospital, found that in January 2024, there were 75 incidents of violence and aggression against staff by patients, relatives and visitors, a rise from 35 in January 2021.
Queens Hospital in Romford. Credit: Wikimedia Commons
The Met Police found that since April 2023, the highest number of offences have been committed in Redbridge, with 35 reports. Among other medical facilities, the borough includes the King George Hospital in Goodmayes.
‘He aggressively sought me out during a shift’
Saint Christopher Alade, a nurse at the John Howard Centre at Barking spoke about his experiences dealing with an abusive patient.
He says: “Despite staff awareness and attempts to assist, he aggressively sought me out during a shift.
“He spat and physically assaulted me while I was engaged with another patient.”
The BHRUT’s Chief Executive Matthew Trainor stated that staff should not be subject to any sort of abuse, stating, “our message couldn’t be any simple; no abuse, no excuse.”
Body camera company Reveal claims that the use of body cameras can help to reduce aggression. They found that when patients saw a front facing body camera on health workers they had “a calming effect”, which caused patients to behave appropriately within the hospital.
‘We need incident data to be recorded on a national level’
However, there is some concern over the use of body cameras within hospitals. Alade also emphasised the issues regarding privacy when body cameras are being used in psychiatric hospitals.
He says: “It creates a constant surveillance environment where personal moments, vulnerabilities and sensitive actions are captured without consent.
“This intrusion can erode the trust between healthcare providers and patients, hinder open conversation and potentially deter individuals from seeking care.”
The use of body cameras is not unique to the BHRUT, and they have been used in many hospitals in London to try and reduce violence from patients. However, Alade believes that body cameras don’t help to reduce violence and that more needs to be done by the NHS.
Credit: Getty Images
“The NHS needs to allocate resources not only for increased security, but also for strategies to handle and de-escalate situations, ensuring the protection of staff from violent actions.”
Additionally, a Royal College of Nursing spokesperson gave a comment emphasising that there must be more support for staff reporting incidents.
“We need incident data to be recorded at a national level to truly understand the scale of the issue, so plans can be made to prevent attacks from happening in the first place,” they said.
“Employers must do more to protect staff and create an environment where they can report incidents.”
City News reached out to the BHRUT for a comment but they have yet to respond.
The first direct negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian officials since the breakdown of talks in 2022 have begun in Istanbul, as both sides revisit unresolved demands amid continued fighting on the ground
A devastating fire at Bicester Motion, a historic motoring and aviation centre located on a former RAF base in Oxfordshire, has claimed the lives of two firefighters and a member of the public.
