A London-wide operation has launched known as Operation Cavell, to improve the safety of NHS staff. The initiative will see a senior officer review all reports of assaults and hate crime against NHS staff.
Following a three-month pilot, the NHS, Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) have been working in partnership to launch the scheme, which aims to protect NHS staff on the frontline.
As well as senior police officer involvement, senior welfare and support staff within the NHS will be brought on board to help those who have been the victim of such crimes feel safer.
Martin Machray, Joint Regional Chief Nurse for NHS England & Improvement in London, said: “The last year of the pandemic has shone a light on the selflessness and dedication of NHS staff. All our staff should be able to come into work without fear of violence, injury or abuse. We therefore welcome the rollout of this important initiative across mental health services in London and we hope it will help protect and support our wonderful colleagues.”
The pilot scheme took place across the London boroughs of Lambeth, Southwark, Bromley, Croydon and Sutton between October 2020 and January 2021. It looked at 63 investigations and had a 26.45% charge rate. Before Operation Cavell, 30 NHS and London Ambulance Service (LAS) assaults were recorded and revealed only 6.6% resulted in a charge.
Prior to the pilot, 50% of NHS staff in London who were assaulted would not support an investigation, whereas the last three months has seen that number drop to 25%.
London’s Chief Crown Prosecutors Lionel Idan and Barry Hughes said: “Mainstreaming Operation Cavell across London can only be good news for our dedicated frontline NHS workers, who must be able to go about their critical work without threat of physical harm or abuse.
“This strong multi-agency response should leave no one in any doubt about the serious consequences of attacking NHS workers either physically or verbally.”
Chief Inspector Luke Mooney, from the MPS who led the pilot, said: “We are determined to make sure our NHS staff feel confident to report assaults or hate crime. There is no place in society for such abuse.
“Over the past three months alone (Jan-March 21) NHS and LAS colleagues have been punched, kicked, spat at, urinated on, strangled, thrown across a room, had faeces thrown on them and been racially abused.
“Op Cavell was launched to change this during a time where the NHS are facing pressures like never before during the Covid-19 pandemic."
