Published on: 2 July 2020
South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust and Northumbria Police have issued a warning that anyone abusing or assaulting NHS staff risks arrest and being refused treatment.
The stark message follows a recent incident when a patient allegedly coughed deliberately in the face of a doctor in the Emergency Department at Sunderland Royal Hospital. This was reported to Northumbria Police and led to an immediate arrest and court summons.
Staff across the Trust have worked tirelessly throughout the coronavirus pandemic and have received unbelievable support from the local community but assaults and abuse on Trust staff continue to take place. The Trust wants to send a clear message to the public and reinforce that any form of abuse, whether verbal or physical, will not be tolerated and will result in swift and severe action, including contacting the police and possible refusal of treatment.
Steve Jamieson, South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust’s Director of Estates and Facilities, said: “NHS staff and other essential workers have worked tirelessly throughout the past few months to keep vital services running, despite the threat of coronavirus; they do not deserve to be treated with anything other than respect.
“Our teams dedicate themselves to caring for and protecting others and they need to be able to come to work without fear of violence, abuse or harassment. Unfortunately, a minority of people do sometimes act in a violent and abusive manner towards them and this is simply not acceptable. We want to make it absolutely clear that we will not tolerate physical, verbal or racist abuse. We encourage reporting of all forms of violence and aggression and, whenever possible, we always seek to ensure that the perpetrators are prosecuted.”
Dr Dave Bramley, Consultant in Emergency Medicine and the Trust’s Clinical Lead for Urgent and Emergency Care, added: “This is a difficult time for everyone working in the NHS and our wider essential services. We come to work each day to protect and help people, not to be abused. The vast majority of people we see are friendly, kind and courteous but there are a few who think it is acceptable to be abusive and, at times, violent. We must do all we can to stamp out this kind of behaviour.”
In March this year, the Director of Public Prosecutions, Max Hill QC, warned that anyone using coronavirus to threaten emergency and essential workers faces serious criminal charges. The Crown Prosecution Service intervention came after reports of police and other frontline workers being deliberately coughed at by people claiming to have the disease. Such behaviour is illegal and assaults specifically against emergency workers are punishable by up to 12 months in prison.
Chief Superintendent Sarah Pitt from Northumbria Police’s Southern Area Command said: “Over the past few months we have dealt with a number of incidents where we have seen people coughed and spat on for simply doing their job. This is a despicable thing to do to anyone – let alone those individuals who have put their own health at risk to help fight this pandemic.
“Anyone who carries out an appalling assault like this should be aware they will be dealt with robustly and through the criminal justice system.
“The courts are sending a strong message to offenders and we will continue to ensure anyone who is targeted in this way receives the appropriate support.”
