The Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH), in collaboration with NHS England (NHSE), have developed a new educational pathway and eLearning programme for NHS staff to reduce prevention and violence in the workplace.

Why is the training important?

Preventing and reducing violence and abuse in healthcare settings is a key focus for NHS England. In 2022, it was found that 14.7% of NHS staff have experienced at least one incident of physical violence from patients, service users, relatives or other members of the public in the last 12 months. Violent attacks contribute to 45% of staff feeling unwell, with 32% thinking about leaving their organisation.

What does it do?

Designed for NHS staff working in high-risk environments, including primary care, mental health, and ambulance trusts, the training addresses the root causes of violence and abuse. It considers individual trauma and distress alongside societal and environmental factors like health inequalities to equip learners with the skills they need to identify triggers, prevent violence, and lead on organisational culture change.

What impact has it had?

A new evaluation report published this month has revealed that the training programme has encouraged significant changes in practice in workplaces.

The training increased participants’ capability, opportunity and motivation to integrate public health approaches at work to prevent and reduce violence.

77% of participants said they would be likely to apply what they had learned to prevent and reduce violence and abuse in their organisation.

As well as an educational pathway, RSPH also developed an eLearning course to introduce colleagues to a public health and trauma-informed approach to preventing and reducing violence against staff. The course is open to all staff and is free to access on the NHS Learning Hub.

If you would like to enquire about RSPH’s VPR education pathway, please reach out to [email protected].