Everyone deserves to feel safe at work. NHS Ayrshire & Arran is calling on patients, visitors and the public to show kindness and respect to healthcare workers while reinforcing its zero-tolerance approach to violence, aggression and abuse towards staff.
Every day, our staff provide care, support and compassion to people across Ayrshire and Arran, often in challenging and demanding circumstances. They have the right to carry out their roles without fear of intimidation, threats, verbal abuse or physical violence.
Like all NHS Scotland Boards, NHS Ayrshire & Arran has a zero-tolerance approach to violence and aggression towards employees and is committed to preventing incidents and supporting staff who experience unacceptable behaviour. This includes taking appropriate action where staff are subjected to abuse, whether in person, by telephone, online or through social media.
Sarah Leslie, Human Resources Director, said: “Our staff work hard every day to provide safe, compassionate care for our communities, and deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. Violence, aggression and abuse towards NHS employees is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.
“While we understand that people may be anxious, upset or distressed during times of illness or crisis, there is never an excuse for threatening, abusive or violent behaviour.
“Our Civility Saves Lives approach reinforces a simple but important message: how we treat one another matters. Kindness, courtesy and respect help create safer and more positive environments for our staff, patients and everyone who uses our services.
“We are committed to supporting our staff and taking appropriate action when incidents occur. We ask everyone using our services to work with us by treating our staff with kindness and respect, so they can continue focusing on delivering the best possible care for patients and families.”
NHS Ayrshire & Arran is committed to creating safe and respectful environments for staff, patients and visitors. Through Civility Saves Lives and the wider culture framework, we are working to make Caring, Safe and Respectful behaviours visible in everyday interactions and to support positive, psychologically safe workplaces.
While some incidents of violence and aggression may require involvement from partner agencies, our priority is to prevent such behaviour from occurring and to ensure staff feel supported, valued and safe at work.