It is shocking to hear of healthcare or emergency services workers being assaulted whilst carrying out their duties. Most of us would consider this to be a particularly serious form of assault which puts not only the victim at risk but also any members of the public being helped at that point in time.  

The Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Bill has almost passed onto our statute books and is being considered by the House of Lords now. When the Bill becomes law it will lead to higher sentences being passed for such crimes as Judges will be directed to treat the fact that the assault was carried out on an emergency worker (which includes all patient and public-facing NHS staff) as an aggravating factor, thus increasing the seriousness of the offence.

The Act will only be about 4 pages long but will send an important message of support to our emergency workers and, hopefully, act as a deterrent to those who would hurt the people who help and protect us when we are at our most vulnerable.

Bill to protect staff from assault 'sends message' to employers, says MP By Annabelle Collins11 May 2018

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Employers not taking responsibility for staff safety, MP says Holly Lynch says assault in the workplace has become normalised in emergency services Envisions ‘sentencing that is a deterrence’ The bill to protect healthcare and emergency services workers from assault will “send a message to employers” to take incidents more seriously, one of the MPs behind it has told HSJ.

https://www.hsj.co.uk/workforce/bill-to-protect-staff-from-assault-sends-message-to-employers-says-mp/7022365.article