NHS England (NHSE), in collaboration with the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH), have developed a new eLearning course introducing colleagues to a public health and trauma-informed approach to preventing and reducing violence against staff.

The eLearning was developed to address an identified training need for staff and it will also bridge a knowledge gap for those embarking on RSPH’s Violence Prevention and Reduction (VPR) educational pathway.

This course is particularly valuable for workers in health and care settings who have a role in the prevention and reduction of violence against staff, or for those who are working in ‘at risk’ environments.

NHS England staff who took part in the pilot programme for the eLearning found it “enjoyable” and “useful”, while 88% would recommend it to a colleague or friend.

Over one-hour of learning time, trainees will achieve the following learning outcomes:

• Identify the key policy and legislative drivers for violence prevention and reduction in healthcare settings.
• Understand and describe the individual, situational and environmental factors that can cause violence.
• Describe how using public health and trauma informed approaches can prevent violence at individual and community level.
• Explore a range of best practice approaches that can be used by individuals, teams and organisations to minimise the risk or impact of violence.

NHS England expects all parts of the NHS to commit to preventing and reducing the risk of violence towards staff, as well as supporting their health and wellbeing in line with the ‘We are safe and healthy’ NHS People Promise. This in turn will improve staff experience, retention and ultimately patient care. 

The course is open to all staff and is free to access on the NHS Learning Hub.  Trainees are also able to download a certificate upon completion.

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