NHS: Abuse of Nurses

Lord Hamilton of Epsom Excerpts

Tuesday 5th April 2022 Lords Chamber

[Lord Hamilton of Epsom (Con)]

My Lords, does my noble friend have any idea who the people are who are abusing nurses, how many of them are drunk and how many of them are mentally ill?

[Lord Kamall (Con)]

I thank my noble friend for his question. When the NHS started investigating and digging deeper into this issue, the assumption was that it was often just members of the public. It is finding that it is individuals who have had a mental health crisis or are suffering from dementia or another neurological condition, rather than the classic perception of members of staff being abused by the public.