Partnership to tackle violence at Northumberland hospital recognised through prestigious award

The partnership between the security team at Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital in Cramlington and Northumbria Police in 2020 to prevent and reduce violence won the Violence Prevention and Reduction Initiative award at the National Association of Healthcare Security Awards.

A police officer works alongside the security team at the hospital in the evenings and overnight to provide greater reassurance to patients, visitors and staff, and be a visible deterrent for aggressive behaviour and assist in incidents.

Other initiatives include a monthly meeting between the security team and Northumbria Police to share knowledge and address concerns, and a police training package teaching skills in de-escalation techniques and basics in law.

Chris Campbell, soft services manager at Northumbria Healthcare Facilities Management said: “We’re delighted that the partnership has won this prestigious award. Over the last four years, our security team has worked collaboratively with Northumbria Police to improve patient and staff safety, and we’re thrilled to see the improvements made at the Northumbria Hospital.

“We are particularly pleased to see that our employee turnover rate has improved since establishing the partnership, it is reassuring to know that our staff feel safe when delivering care to our patients and visitors.”

Many incidents involving violence against staff members and/or other patients and visitors have been reported, but since the establishment of the partnership there has been a 75% drop in the calls made to request police assistance. The number of restraints carried out by the security team has also fallen, improving safety for the security officers and patients.

Employee retention figures show the security team’s average turnover rate has fallen from 20% in 2019 to 3.7% to date in 2024.

Inspector Jonathan Caisley, of Northumbria Police’s Cramlington Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT), added: “We are absolutely committed to supporting our NHS colleagues in keeping NSECH a safe and welcoming place to attend and the fall in the number of reports to us requesting assistance in recent years shows that our relationship is having a positive effect.”