"VIOLENCE and aggression against NHS staff will not be tolerated."
That was the message from bosses at Grimsby's hospital today as a man appeared in court for abusing staff there.
Grimsby Magistrates' Court heard how Luke Wilson, 21, of Macaulay Way, Grimsby, admitted using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour on April 12 – sparking the fresh warning from NHS bosses, who revealed that between April 2011 and March 2012, there were 86 assaults on staff at the Trust that runs the Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital.
Wendy Foster, prosecuting, said police were called to the hospital after 11pm because a woman had an injured arm.
Bare-chested Wilson was at the reception desk shouting and swearing: "I want a cubicle for her. Get her a cubicle."
A blood-soaked bandage was removed from the wrist of Wilson's girlfriend but he hurled it at the police, yelling: "There you go. It's covered in blood."
He was asked to wait in the seated area but he shouted: "She needs treatment. Get her to a cubicle. I want to see your manager."
Police asked him to leave but he yelled: "I want to see their manager. Get out of my way. You're not going to stop me."
He told his girlfriend: "Don't die on me. Answer me. I'm not leaving." Wilson, who had convictions for 57 offences, told the court: "I know it was not acceptable. I would like to apologise. I know I should not have kicked off."
He said his girlfriend had suffered a serious injury at Garibaldi House and had lost two pints of blood.
"All I could see was blood squirting out like a jet," he said. "She had severed a main artery. I panicked. I just had to get her to the hospital.
"The reason I didn't leave was that she was bleeding from an artery. It was instinct. They took me to the floor.
"I am not going to listen when my girlfriend is on the floor bleeding to death."
He told the magistrates: "I'm sure you would do the same."
Presiding magistrate Ian Perry replied: "No, I wouldn't. I would leave the medical staff to get on with their job."
Unemployed Wilson was fined £95 and ordered to pay £85 costs and a Government-imposed £20 victims' surcharge.
Jug Johal, hotel services general manager and NLAG's designated security management specialist, said: "I welcome the criminal sanctions imposed by the court.
"Our staff are employed by the Trust to provide vital health care services to our local communities and we will not tolerate violent or aggressive behaviour towards them."
The figures, which are the latest available, also show there were 140 recorded assaults on medial staff across United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust, 83 assaults on staff working for East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust and 17 assaults on NHS staff working for North East Lincolnshire Care Trust Plus – which changed this year to the Clinical Commissioning Group.
Mr Johal said: "We will continue to work extremely closely with the police, Crown Prosecution Service and NHS Protect to seek criminal sanctions and redress from those who continue to ignore our policies."
Editor's Comment Hospital staff do not turn up to work to face abuse and attack. The vast majority of people who enter the care profession are dedicated, hard-working individuals who are there for a reason – to help nurse the sick and comfort those who face dreadful situations. They do appreciate that people face distressing circumstances and will therefore react in sometimes very different ways. To kick back against bad news is a natural reaction for some, as is an ability to try and apportion blame in order to justify what has happened. Staff in any such situation will know this and therefore be trained to deal with it. However what that should never resort to is verbal attack or outright assault – and unfortunately there are a number of incidents of such. This is simply unacceptable and will only hamper the efforts of the professionals. It is right that such incidents are taken to the courts and those responsible are dealt with. Follow the editor on Twitter @michellelalor
