According to a Royal College of Nursing (RCN) survey, over 60 per cent of nurses have been verbally or physically attacked while working in the community over the last two years.

The survey of nearly 800 RCN members found that six in ten (60.3 per cent) of nurses had suffered verbal abuse, while one in ten (10.7 per cent) had been victims of physical abuse.

Nearly 11 per cent of RCN members also reported they had suffered physical abuse at the hands of patients during home visits.

Nearly half of nurses who responded did not feel that their employer would take action over verbal abuse, while over a quarter were not convinced they would take action over physical assault. The survey also showed that over half (54.9 per cent) of nurses are working outside of normal office hours and feel less safe than those working within office hours.

“Nurses working alone in the community are vulnerable and are often without back up or immediate help close by - out of sight should not mean out of mind,” said Dr Peter Carter, the RCN’s Chief Executive and General Secretary.

“During these dark, winter nights I expect that many nurses may feel even more at risk and this must be addressed as a matter of urgency.”

Nearly four in ten (38.5 per cent) felt that for various reasons, the risks to lone workers have increased over the past two years. These include increased expectations of  both patients (73.1 per cent) and their relatives/carers (83.5 percent) as well as increasing caseloads (71 per cent). Over a third (37 percent) felt that there was also an increased level of substance abuse in the patients they saw.

For more information
www.rcn.org.uk/pressreleases