Minister wants to see body-worn cameras available for all health service workers

Northern Ireland’s Health Minister has said he wants to see body-worn cameras become available for the safety of health service workers.

Mike Nesbitt said some health trusts have been piloting the use of body-worn cameras for staff in their emergency departments.

His department committed to working to address violence and aggression in the workplace with a framework published in December 2023.

Speaking during questions for his department in the Assembly on Tuesday, Mr Nesbitt said there must be a “culture of zero tolerance towards violence and aggression in the workplace”, and that requires a “sustained commitment”.

He described measures to protect frontline staff, including trained security staff, CCTV and the use of body-worn cameras.

“They act as a potential deterrent, and they allow staff to capture video footage of instances of violence and aggression,” he said.

SDLP MLA Justin McNulty said there had been 72,000 physical and verbal attacks on health and social care staff in the last five years in the region, and questioned if enough was being done to protect staff.

Mr Nesbitt responded saying: “We are moving in the right direction.”

He said he is “very much in favour of body-worn cameras”, referring to “evidence that they are a successful and appropriate deterrent”.

“It would be my hope that we will end up with body-worn cameras being available to all HSE (health and social care) staff who are working in areas where there is that engagement with patients/service users,” he said.

“It will be for the trusts, ultimately, as it is an operational matter for them, but what I would like to see is that it is consistent across the five trusts.”

He also said he would like to see a change in the law which currently prohibits employers, the trust in this case, from taking action in terms of a prosecution of somebody who has been violent, either physically or verbally, against a member of their staff.

“We are actively looking at what we might do by way of a legislative change, which would empower the trust to do more to ensure prosecutions rather than leaving staff feeling like they’re on their own, and having to go and get their own solicitor and do their own prosecution,” he added.