Largest amount of assaults on health staff in North West

 

There were nearly 8,700 assaults on health staff last year.
Almost half of the victims were nurses.
According to freedom of information figures, there were 8,667 reports of assaults on HSE staff in 2020.
6,900 were direct physical attacks, while 1,707 were verbal and 60 were sexual assaults.
Of all the attacks, nurses make up by far the highest amount, at over 48 per cent.
In total, there were 4,166 assaults against nursing staff last year.
The largest amount of assaults was in the Donegal/Sligo/Leitrim/Cavan/Monaghan area, with 1,028 reports last year.
The HSE says ensuring the safety of employees and service-users is a priority, and training on managing violence and aggression is provided.