It seems that nursing, nurses and healthcare are always in the news - this is the first in a new type of #WeNurses discussions that delves a little deeper into the headlines and gives you the opportunity to share what you think. 

Recently new measures were announced to clampdown on violence against NHS staff - the BBC reported on it HERE but in summary:

• Staff are to be given better training in dealing with violent situations
• Offenders will be prosecuted quicker
• Health Secretary Matt Hancock says the NHS will adopt a "zero tolerance" approach to violence against its staff.
• A bill to double the sentence for assaults on emergency workers from six months to a year is expected to become law

HSJ and UNISON (2018) state that "Reported physical attacks on NHS staff within these trusts rose by just under 5,000 or 9.7 per cent between 2015-16 and 2016-17" And a recent Guardian article (2018) mentioned that "The World Health Organization says health workers are at a high risk of physical violence all over the globe, and estimates that between 8% and 38% of staff in different countries suffer at some point in their careers. A study by the International Council of Nurses concluded that healthcare workers were more likely to be attacked at work than prison guards or police officers, and that female nurses were most at risk." This is a problem that is not only not going away but is also on the increase ... so whats the solution? 

This #WeNurses discussion aims to explore some of the following questions:

• What are your thoughts about the increase in violence against healthcare workers?
• What can be done to reduce the risk of violence from the people we care for or their relatives or friends? 
• How do we support one another to deal with violent incidents?
• What do you think a "zero tolerance" approach to violence against healthcare staff should look like?