A new report published by the Home Office reveals that some nurses and other health professionals face one of the highest risks of any occupational group of physical violence or threats from members of the public whilst at work. Roy Carter reports

More than 1.2 million incidents of violence in the workplace took place in England and Wales during 1997, according to the latest Home Office figures published in Violence at Work – Findings from the British Crime Survey. The report records 523,000 instances of workers being physically attacked and another 703,000 cases in which staff were threatened with violence. Nearly half of all victims (47 per cent) suffered more than once, leaving a total of 649,000 people, or 2.8 per cent of all working adults, who experienced at least one violent incident while at work.