UNISON calls for hospital staff safety after imitation weapon incident

A union has called for staff safety to be upheld after an imitation weapon was seized at West Suffolk Hospital.

Officers from Suffolk police were called to West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds at 2.46am on Friday, June 21 after receiving reports of a man in possession of a weapon.

The man was then arrested and an imitation firearm was seized before he was taken to Bury St Edmunds police station and later bailed to return on Thursday, July 25.

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UNISON Eastern head of health, Caroline Hennessy, said: “Any incident like this is obviously distressing for staff and patients and we’re thankful that security staff were able to quickly and safely deal with the situation.

“It’s important that NHS trusts have robust processes in place to make sure health workers can go about their jobs without fears for their safety.

“Cases like this are thankfully rare, but violence against NHS staff isn’t - nearly 14% of staff experienced physical violence from patients in the last year and a quarter suffered harassment, bullying or abuse.

“Trusts must work with staff and their unions to keep tackling this problem.”