Rise in racial attacks reported by health staff

The number of reported racially motivated assaults on healthcare staff has doubled in two years, the government has said.

Health and Care Jersey (HCJ) said in a freedom of information request response there had been 29 racially motivated assaults reported in 2024, an increase from the 14 reported in 2022 and 15 in 2023.

In 2020 there had been five reported racially motivated assaults and in 2021 six, but the government said there had been fewer patients in these years due to the Covid pandemic restrictions.

The government said the increase in reported assaults may be due to HCJ's efforts to encourage staff to report incidents and the service's anti-racism campaign in 2024.

The HCJ's figures showed fewer physical assaults had been reported in 2024 than in the previous two years.

In 2023 there were 310 physical assaults reported by healthcare staff, up from 272 in 2022 and in 2024 the number reduced to 259.

The government said inpatient mental health services accounted for 45% of the verbal abuse incidents and 72% of physical assaults in 2023.

The number of reported verbal assaults hit a high of 177 in 2024, up from 117 in 2023 and 99 in 2022.

The government said the system of collecting information had undergone changes between 2020 and 2024 and as a result, there were "data quality limitations, particularly in relation to reporting of verbal assaults."

The HCJ said police had been called to incidents in health departments 72 times in 2024, which was an increase from the 51 call-outs in 2023 but fewer than the 93 visits in 2022.

A spokesperson for HCJ said it "works closely with the States of Jersey Police with regard to the prevention and management of threatening behaviours, violence and aggression towards our staff".

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