B

Baroness Watkins of Tavistock (CB)

Speaking in the House of Lords on 2 March 2026

Debate

NHS: Violence Against NHS Staff

Contribution

My Lords, when working as a district nurse in 1981, I worked with an elderly male patient who had a rat in a cage as a pet. I made a rookie mistake that I would not make now: I said I was frightened of it. The next time I visited, when I drew back his bedclothes to give him a bed bath, the rat leapt out at me. I just draw attention to that, but can the Minister explain how and what statistics are kept on the sickness and absence of healthcare workers who work in the community as a result of physical and psychological aggression from patients?

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