NHS staff must be protected from assaults and abuse by angry, entitled patients – Hayley Matthews

I was saddened to read that the assaults on NHS staff have risen by 30 per cent in England.
NHS staff should be treated with the respect displayed by graffiti artist @akse_p19 in this piece in Manchester last year  (Picture: Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images)NHS staff should be treated with the respect displayed by graffiti artist @akse_p19 in this piece in Manchester last year  (Picture: Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images)
NHS staff should be treated with the respect displayed by graffiti artist @akse_p19 in this piece in Manchester last year (Picture: Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images)

I imagine it's not just in England and that the figures of awful behaviour, assault and abuse are on the rise in most areas nationwide.

I also imagine it happens in Scotland just as much as it does down south and it's so sad to hear of.

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With NHS staff being at the frontline more than ever in the last year, I can only imagine how difficult it's been for them to handle aggressive and abusive behaviour.

With talk of the staff in England wearing body cameras to protect them, it's made me ask the question "why only now?"

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Police have been wearing body cameras for years and even the likes of train conductors have been known to sport them for their safety, so why have we left it until things have got so bad for vulnerable NHS staff because of the behaviour of angry and heavy-handed clientele?

I absolutely cringe when I see people acting in an entitled, ungrateful or generally nasty way towards NHS staff and it really knocks my blood pressure up a few notches.

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There's absolutely no need for it. And you know the type? Expects everything for nothing, is ungrateful when it arrives and has probably moaned every second in between.

So please, wherever you are in the world, if you're expecting someone to attend to your medical needs and are in need of assistance, just be decent. Manners cost nothing!

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