Attitudes hardening towards assaults on NHS staff

MPs are urged to extend tougher penalties for attacks on NHS workers, as the RCN warns offical statistics do not reveal 'the true picture'

Mental health nurse Sharon Morris was attacked by a patient in the grounds of her former workplace in North Wales last autumn. Ms Morris was repeatedly punched in the face until she lost consciousness and collapsed.

‘As he was hitting me, I thought about my children and that I might die,’ she recounts. ‘He punched me in the face until I passed out.’

A year on, Ms Morris says she continues to suffer after-effects from the incident.

‘I still get nightmares and flashbacks, and I misjudge people’s intentions. If someone moves towards me suddenly I just freeze.’