News Article
10 November 2009
NHS Security Management Service
Press release
For immediate release - 10 November 2009
All staff can help protect our NHS
The vital year-round work of the NHS Security Management Service (NHS SMS) is explained by Managing Director Dermid McCausland in an online broadcast at www.nhssecuritymanagement.nhs.uk to mark NHS Security Awareness Month (SAM), which runs throughout November 2009.
He pledges: “We are committed to ensuring that the health service and its staff are properly protected so that the highest standards of clinical care are available for patients.”
McCausland highlights the fact that while NHS SMS must think nationally, its policies and procedures are acted on locally by a strong countrywide network of Local Security Management Specialists (LSMSs) – working in close partnership.
LSMSs are the first point of call for NHS staff who have any concerns about the safety of their working environment. They react decisively to any security incidents that do occur, though they spend much of their time preventing problems from arising.
“Every health body in England is required to nominate a member of staff to fulfil the LSMS role and undergo the NHS Security Management Service’s training. They are supported in this by staff in SMS’s Legal Protection Unit.”
“The security of public spaces is a key concern for all of us,” McCausland notes, pointing out that the NHS must maintain premises that are both highly accessible and very secure. At the same time he acknowledges “emotions can run high” in NHS settings as patients and visitors wait their turn, sometimes fuelled by “influences such as drugs and alcohol”.
McCausland drives home the point that, before the NHS Security Management Service existed, violent and abusive incidents were going unreported, so offenders went unpunished. He urges all NHS staff to report abuse.
“We need everyone to work with us, and their Local Security Management Specialist, by reporting any security concerns they may have, and any incidents that occur. With this awareness, we can make sure that the work we do across the health service nationally creates the safest and most secure NHS locally.”
NHS staff and the Public are encouraged to view the SAM interactive presentation and forward the link to their contacts. LSMSs in health bodies across England will take the lead in promoting SAM locally through displays, workshops and other events.
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For more information contact Daryl Barrett or James Robertson at the NHS Security Management Service press office on 020 7895 4523/4524. Out of hours mobile 07717 851 926
Further information on NHS CFS can be found at www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/security
Notes to editors
1. The NHS Security Management Service (NHS SMS) – a division of the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) - was set up in 2003 to handle policy and operational matters related to the management of security within the NHS in England. It strives to ensure permanent improvements are made to provide the best protection for NHS staff and property.
2. In 2007/08 there were 55,993 reported physical assaults against NHS staff in England. During the same period sanctions against people who commit assault have risen to 992 – an increase of 123 on last year and a substantial rise from the 51 that were recorded in 2002/3. The VAS (Violence Against Staff) figures for the year 2008/9 are expected to be released in mid-November.
3. In April 2004, the NHS SMS developed a national syllabus for conflict resolution training aimed at all frontline NHS staff. This training gives staff the skills to recognise and defuse potentially violent situations. Figures show that more than 428,000 staff have been trained so far.
4. Local Security Management Specialists (LSMSs) are in place in 90% of health bodies around England to investigate security breaches, along with the police, and implement new systems to better protect NHS staff and property. All reported incidents of violence against staff are reported to the LSMS as well as the police. They receive professional training in areas such as witness interviewing and a background in law, and are supported nationally by the NHS SMS.