The Department collected figures on the number of violent incidents in the year 2002-03.
In April 2003 the national health service security management service (NHS SMS) was created and assumed responsibility for tackling violence against NHS staff. Since 2004-05 the NHS SMS has collected statistics for the number of reported physical assaults and criminal sanctions against individuals who have assaulted NHS staff.
The numbers of violent incidents, reported physical assaults and criminal sanctions are not available by hospital but by trust. The figures for 2002-03 and for 2004-05 to 2006-07 are shown in the following table.
NHS trust Violent incidents Assaults Sanctions Assaults Sanctions Assaults Sanctions City hospitals and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust 103 124 1 153 2 123 4 County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust 339 97 1 47 4 41 7 North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust 163 61 22 57 1 8 0 Notes: Criminal sanctions include: Cautions and Conditional Cautions; Community Rehabilitation or Punishment Orders; Imprisonment (including suspended sentences); Conditional Discharges; and Fines.
The information is not available centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.