If someone is angry about waiting for treatment in a hospital accident and emergency department and they swear and threaten a receptionist, or if a drunken patient swings a punch at a nurse, the police would usually be called.
If someone is angry about waiting for treatment in a hospital accident and emergency department and they swear and threaten a receptionist, or if a drunken patient swings a punch at a nurse, the police would usually be called.
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New guidance aims to ensure health workers adopt a sensible approach to dealing with threats from those with mental health problems, reports Stephen Naysmith
Few would argue with that, and many hospitals have a "zero tolerance" policy about violence as a result.
But the issue is more complicated if a patient is on a mental health ward, and the violent behaviour could well be a consequence of their medical condition. "Nobody should have to come to work expecting to be assaulted – that shouldn't happen," says Donald Lyons, chief executive of the Mental Welfare Commission (MWC).
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