Union chiefs are calling for a Scotland-wide guardian angel alarm system to protect health care workers who are facing physical and verbal abuse each day.

Scotland's biggest union, Unison, said unprecedented levels of abuse are being recorded within the profession.

On Tuesday, it highlighted the particular vulnerability of staff who make home visits alone.

Unison is now calling for a special guardian angel alarm system, which has been piloted in West Lothian, to be operational throughout Scotland.

The protection comes in the form of a sophisticated mobile phone which has an alarm linked to the workers' offices.

Panic buttons

Jim Devine, from Unison, said health care professionals need to be protected from their patients.

The Scottish Executive has spent �800,000 on better protection for NHS staff.

But Unison wants the guardian angel alarm system to extended throughout Scotland.

In October last year mobile phones, pagers and panic buttons were issued to nurses, doctors and paramedics in England.

The move was part of the NHS "zero tolerance" campaign and aimed to reduce the number of attacks on health workers by 20% in the next year.