By Madeleine Brindley
The Western Mail
WALES, U.K. — The first ambulances to be fitted with CCTV cameras as part of the latest scheme to tackle violence against NHS staff will today take to the road.
Cameras have also been installed in four accident and emergency departments as part of a pounds 300,000 pilot project.
It is hoped that the cameras will be used to gather vital evidence in the event that an NHS worker is attacked and deter patients and their relatives from abusing staff.
The one-year pilot scheme will determine whether cameras have an impact on the level of violence and aggression towards NHS staff and on the number of successful prosecutions brought against offenders.
It is the latest measure to protect staff and reduce the threat of violence in the NHS to be adopted in Wales.
Health Minister Edwina Hart said: “It is unacceptable that NHS staff face wilful violence and aggression while going about their day-to-day duties caring for patients.
“The introduction of CCTV cameras will help provide more evidence to support WATCH IT: One cameras fitted to ambulances in prosecutions and act as a deterrent, making people think twice before abusing staff.
“In undertaking this pilot, absolute priority will be given to ensuring patient privacy and dignity, involving close liaison with doctors, nurses and patient representatives.
“Clear signage will be displayed to ensure public awareness of CCTV.”
The latest figures - for 2007-08 - show that there were 7,343 acts of violence against NHS staff, ranging from verbal abuse to serious physical assaults.
This is equivalent to 20 a day.
Accident and emergency departments at the Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport; Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr Tydfil; West Wales General Hospital in Carmarthen and Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor have been chosen to trial the CCTV cameras.
And the five ambulances with cameras on board are based at Blackweir ambulance station in Cardiff.
The CCTV cameras in the back of the five ambulances will act as a deterrent, but will also record any incidents of violence towards paramedics and technicians.
They will be activated by pressing a panic button. Any footage of such assaults will be passed on to police officers to aid prosecution.
Grant Gordon, the ambulance service’s executive lead for violence and aggression, said: “These cameras will be used purely to protect our staff from people who want to do them harm.
“Instances of verbal abuse are certainly daily occurrences. Physical violence is not as prevalent, but there are still incidents, particularly in the hotspots of Cardiff and Swansea where there are big populations.”
David Francis, Wales’ NHS violence and aggression tsar, said: “These pilots reinforce our determination to protect staff and prosecute attackers.
the CCTV the ceilings of Wales “I’m really pleased with the support we are getting from the Police and am confident we will see more prosecutions.
In addition to investing in these new systems, we also want to build up public support for helping us protect our staff and the visibility of CCTV will help this.”
The cameras, which have been funded by the Assembly Government, are the latest initiative to combat violence against NHS staff.
The idea of installing CCTV cameras in A&E was one of the recommendations put forward by the all-Wales violence and aggression steering group in April 2008.
In total there were 54 recommendations put forward by the group, including proposals for a lone worker alert system for vulnerable staff working in community settings.
This is now being put in place to improve protection and safety of lone workers in the NHS in Wales, and includes personal safety alarms being linked to a centralised control system.
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