BBC News Online: Health

Violent patients face ban

The Royal College of Nursing's plea follows a sharp increase in the number of attacks against NHS staff.

Hospitals are promising zero tolerance in the light of 65,000 reported incidents last year.

Violence against nursing staff is being focused on in International Nursing Week.

One in three nurses have suffered abuse from the public, according to statistics for the UK.

Nurse Lyndsay Bruchez-Walker was threatened with a knife by a drunk, violent patient only last week.

She told BBC News that attempts to reason with him and get him to calm down had failed.

"It's the first time I've ever had a knife pulled out on me. It was so frightening," she said.

This was the fourth serious incident in a fortnight at The Luton and Dunstable Hospital.

It has tightened its security introducing 48 surveillance cameras.

Brigid Stacey, of the Luton and Dunstable Hospital, said: "We have issued a campaign that raises public awareness that we won't tolerate abuse of staff and will take civil action against anyone who either verbally or physically abuse staff."

The government has already set targets to reduce violence in hospitals and is giving money to NHS Trusts for improved security.

'Yob element'

Christine Hancock, of the Royal College of Nursing, said it will back hospitals that tackle the "yob element" by refusing to treat violent patients.

"Nurses want to see serious action taken by their employees, they want to see the police called, they want to see prosecution and ultimately if it persists they want to see people banned from that particular hospital or service," she said.

It is feared that the amount of violence in the workplace is a principle cause of nurses leaving the profession.