And in the left corner, weighing in at 120 pounds, Flo…ren…ce Nightingale!
The latest research on nurse attacks will come as a punch in the face to hard working, and dare I say, underpaid nurses.
A study of 69 NHS trusts and private hospitals in England and Wales conducted on behalf of the Healthcare Commission by the Royal College of Psychiatrists found that more than half of nurses on mental health wards have been physically assaulted.
Two thirds of nurses in wards for older people said they had been physically attacked, with injuries including fractures, dislocations and black eyes.
The health watchdog called for a review on the provision of training relating to managing violence. The survey found that nurses on wards for older people were less likely to receive training, with 66% reporting they had been trained to manage incidents, compared to 75% of nurses on working-age wards.
This new report comes not long after health secretary Alan Johnson told delegates at Labour Party Conference last year that tougher action would be taken against people abusing NHS staff.
It also follows a report from Downing Street, last year, which said nurses should smile more to show patients they care about them? Wow!
A training scheme is being pioneered in Stockport, to encourage nurses to smile at patients.
They are to be banned from discussing their personal lives outside break times, or talking too loudly at night when patients are trying to sleep. "So I asked the patient to take his meds, quietly, and then he twisted my arm and punched me in the face, thwack."
Now before I begin my rant, I do realise that may of these people who suffer from mental illness are not entirely responsible for their actions at times, they are heavily medicated etc. However, government appears to be sending out a message that says smile and turn the other cheek - to be smacked.
A suggested happy/ambivalent medium for nurses v patients – smile until your vision becomes blurred and then take two pills for the pain.
