Malcolm Chisholm: "Loutish behaviour intolerable"

They range from research in Glasgow into dealing with aggressive child patients to a package under development in Fife on ways to handle violence in GPs and dentists' surgeries.

Posters are to be put up in hospitals across Scotland drawing attention to the problem of attacks on health workers.

A new survey released by the union, Unison, says 99% of those questioned believe all attacks on public service workers should be treated as serious assaults.

Earlier this year, Mr Chisholm warned that health managers had been given powers to refuse treatment to violent patients.

He told a conference in Dunblane on Monday: "The message is clear - violent and loutish behaviour towards staff in NHS Scotland is not acceptable and will not be tolerated."

The 10 pilot projects have received �372,000 in funding from the health service and related organisations.

Health workers want better protection

Unison believes the Scottish Executive has not done enough to deter violent patients.

Speaking before the projects were announced, Scottish health organiser Jim Devine said: "We are calling on the Scottish Executive to abandon their complacency on violence against staff and to strengthen their anti-social behaviour legislation.

"The Scottish public are clearly saying that attacks on any staff delivering public services must be treated as serious assaults."

He said that under the current proposals two workers on the same job could receive different levels of back-up if they were attacked.