‘Appalling’ rise in abuse against NHS Shetland staff condemned
New security group set up to tackle violence and aggression
A RISE in abuse against NHS Shetland staff has led to a new security group forming to tackle violence and aggression, writes Chloe Irvine.
The health board recorded 70 incidents of abuse between 1 April 2022 and 31 March 2026, 16 of which were physical, figures obtained through a freedom of information request show.
Shetland MSP Hannah Mary Goodlad said everyone deserved to feel safe at work regardless of their role and there was “no place” for abusive behaviour towards staff.
And SIC community safety and resilience committee chairman Allison Duncan described the increase in abuse as “appalling”.
He said NHS staff were doing their “very best” to help people return to good health.
Duncan added he hoped legal action would be taken in some cases, with those responsible being “brought to justice”.
The hospital ward recorded the highest number of physical abuse, with nine incidents directed towards staff.
The emergency department recorded four, while community nursing, a care home and medical imaging each recorded one.
Although GP surgeries reported no incidents of physical abuse, they recorded 20 cases involving other forms of abuse, including disruption, verbal abuse and intimidation – making it the highest total for any service area.
NHS Shetland said the number of reported incidents had increased compared with previous years not covered by the freedom of information request.
However, it said the rise may partly reflect greater awareness among staff of the importance of reporting incidents involving violence and aggression.
The health board said it remained committed to understanding the causes of such incidents and reducing their occurrence.
In hospital settings, it said incidents were more common in areas such as the emergency department and acute medical ward, where aggressive behaviour can sometimes be linked to underlying medical conditions.
“Incidents recorded under the category of violence and aggression are varied and can often be attributed to an underlying medical condition,” NHS Shetland added.
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The health board said it was therefore taking a “trauma-informed approach” when dealing with situations where patients may display violent or aggressive behaviour.
As part of its response, NHS Shetland has established a new security group which will bring together staff from across the organisation to consider all aspects of security within health board buildings.
The health board added: “This is a new group and, as such, investigations and evaluation of suggested improvements have not been completed, but work will continue over the next year.”
A range of support measures are already available for staff affected by abuse, including trauma risk management services.
Staff can also access SilverCloud, an online support platform offering mental wellbeing programmes for NHS employees.
The health board said teams are routinely debriefed following incidents to ensure anyone requiring additional support receives it in the most appropriate way.
Training aimed at preventing and managing violence and aggression is also provided to staff. This includes three levels of instruction covering verbal intervention, foundation safety intervention and advanced or emergency interventions.
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