25 per cent increase in mental health staff assaults

A BBC investigation has revealed that there were more than 42,000 reported attacks on mental health staff in 2016-17, 25 per cent higher than four years previously.

A Freedom of Information request from 5 live Investigates found that assaults increased from 33,620 in 2012-13 to 42,692 last year, with a further 17,000 assaults by patients on other patients in the UK last year.

Meanwhile, the Unison union has conducted a survey of more than 1,000 mental health staff and found that 42 per cent said they had been on the receiving end of violent attacks in the last year, while 36 per cent said they had witnessed violent incidents involving patients attacking their colleagues.

The report, Struggling to Cope, paints a bleak picture of the country’s mental health services – for both staff and users - complimenting the report that there has been an increase in violent incidents in the past year.

Sara Gorton, UNISON head of health, said: “These findings highlight a range of deep-rooted issues in mental health services that need to be addressed urgently. The lack of prevention and absence of early intervention services mean that by the time many people access help, they are already very ill and at crisis point. Severe staff shortages mean there are fewer mental health employees to deal with a rising number of users with complex needs. As a result, many staff are having to work alone, making violent attacks more likely. It’s no wonder so many are planning on leaving for less stressful, safer work elsewhere.”