NICE issue guidance on dealing with violent children

By The Press Association29th May 2015News EnglandChildren, Guidance, News England, Violence, Young People / Youth Work, Youth Work

Guidance on how NHS staff should deal with violent behaviour by children has been included in advice from the National Institute for Health Care Excellence (Nice) for the first time.

The guidelines, which previously only dealt with people over the age of 16, now detail methods for dealing with aggression from adults aged 18 and over, children aged 12 and under, and teenagers aged 13 to 17 with a mental health problem.

It outlines how staff can defuse violent situations and when they can be expected to use physical intervention or drug tranquillisation on aggressive patients.

There were a reported 68,683 assaults on NHS staff between 2013 and 2014, 69% of which were in mental health or learning disability settings, according to Nice.

Nice’s updated guidance on violence and aggression now spans 65 pages and incorporates patients’ views on methods of restraint.

Director of Nice’s centre for clinical practice Professor Mark Baker said: “This newly updated guideline is designed to help prevent violent situations and to manage them safely when they do occur.

“New information on anticipating and reducing risk, as well as ways to calm people down has been incorporated and we have also listened to the views of service users on physical restraint and isolation.

“The guideline focuses on how to assess risk and prevent violence, including how to recognise warning signs, to calm potentially violent patients and manage difficult situations (de-escalation), as well as to intervene safely when violence happens.”

The development was welcomed by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), who said it was important to have “proper training and systems in place”.

Chief executive and general secretary of the RCN Dr Peter Carter said: “This is an important issue for nurses, who often feel the effects of violent incidents at work long after any physical wounds have healed.

“It is also crucial that employers take all the steps they can to safeguard their staff. This means having safe staffing levels, proper training and systems in place to call help quickly if it is needed.

“Many violent or intimidating incidents can be prevented and by doing so a positive, safe environment can be created for everyone.”