Everyone has the right to a safe and secure workplace, declares conference

Everyone has the right to expect a safe and secure workplace, UNISON’s community conference in Southport heard. Workers in the community, voluntary and housing sectors should not have to accept violent or aggressive behaviour as “a normal part of their role”. But the debate on violence toward staff has become a hardy perennial the service groups conference. And this year was no different. Once more, delegates found themselves discussing motions on the issue and calling for “Employers and employees [to] work together to establish systems to prevent or reduce aggressive behaviour from individuals supported in whatever … setting.” This year’s motion listed just some examples of the violence and aggression faced by UNISON members working to support some of the most vulnerable people in society. These included: a support worker bitten by an individual with learning disabilities while providing necessary support; an angry visitor who considers that his or her relative had not been properly treated verbally abusing a manager of the support organisation; a carer verbally abused and threatened by an individual who is unwilling to take prescribed medication; a member of domiciliary staff providing refreshments being struck by a confused elderly patient. And speakers in the debate had plenty of examples of their own. Conference heard a member assaulted by a service user and sent to hospital, only to find an unsympathetic, who she described as “bullying and aggressive...
Source: UNISON Health care news - Category: UK Health Authors: Tags: Article News 2018 Community Conference community and voluntary sector health and safety housing violence at work Source Type: news