Wes Streeting launches plan to tackle violence against NHS staff

In a speech made to UNISON’s annual health conference, the Health Secretary has launched a plan to tackle violence against frontline staff in the NHS.

At the UNISON annual health conference in Liverpool, Streeting laid out his support package plan, in line with the recommendations accepted by the government under the Agenda for Change contract.The support will cover over a million workers within the NHS, following the implementation of an above-inflation pay rise.

In his speech, he declared “no one should go to work fearing violence”, citing figures that show one in every seven NHS employees have suffered harassment at the hands of the public.

Streeting disclosed plans to ensure information is collected at a national level, with analytics processed to understand if certain groups of staff face risks disproportionately.

As part of the plan to enhance support, he also announced a universal career structure for adult social care, as well as “millions of pounds” for investment into skills and training for care workers. He said the Prime Minister had wanted his sister, a care worker, to “command the same respect as her brother.”

The Department of Health and Social Care are set to work closely with the NHS to administer a national, digital system to fairly assess staff and place them in the appropriate pay band.

A total of 36 recommendations within the package have been accepted by ministers, with Streeting concluding his speech on the note that “the best is still to come.”