Body-worn cameras 'stopping attacks on ED staff'

Body-worn cameras have proved so effective at tackling violence against hospital staff that one health trust is set to use them permanently.

Several trusts have been trialling the measure, which sees cameras worn on the lapels of healthcare workers in emergency departments (EDs).

These are only turned on if a patient or visitor becomes aggressive.

Naomi Baldwin, assistant director of corporate nursing at the Northern Health Trust, said cameras helped to "de-escalate" tensions and had a "positive impact" on patients' behaviour.

Northern Ireland's health minister is in favour of the cameras but said keeping them in force is ultimately up to individual trusts.

Baldwin said several members of staff had spoken of being being faced with a patient becoming "agitated, verbally aggressive" whilst wearing the cameras.

She said that once the patient was warned that the camera would be activated, staff noted a change in behaviour.

There have been more than 72,000 physical and verbal attacks on health and social care staff throughout Northern Ireland in the last five years.

Baldwin said ED workers "seem to be taking the brunt" of patient aggression and it had "reached a point where we can't go on like this".

Senior staff in Antrim ED took part in a 12-week trial, included ambulance triage, ambulatory emergency care and observation unit workers.

"The nurse will say that she's activating the camera for everyone that's in that surrounding area, be it patients, visitors, staff, family members," Baldwin said.

She explained a screen on the front of the camera displays the captured footage, meaning patients see what is being recorded in real time.

"It's one of the things that actually helps with that behaviour change, because people can actually see what they're doing and actually recognise that this is not normal behaviour."

The Northern Trust reported 39 incidents in 2024 in Antrim ED, of which 22 were physical.

This included a registrar being bitten on the hand; nursing staff and a carer being punched and grabbed and a health care assistant kicked in the abdomen.

Baldwin, who started working as a nurse in 1990, said she had "seen many incidents over my career" but the frequency of attacks was rising.

"The severity of them is definitely, in some cases, quite alarming so we have to support our staff."

Following the successful trial, the trust will permanently implement body-worn cameras in its Antrim ED, as well as extending them to Causeway Hospital ED.

While staff will be encouraged to wear the cameras during their shift, it is not mandatory.

Signage will also be placed in the EDs to make patients and visitors aware that some staff are wearing cameras.

There were no serious incidents reported or recorded during the trial.

An evaluation of the pilot found that the cameras were a valuable tool in "supporting and influencing safer staff/patient interactions".

The trust's Executive Director of Nursing, Gill Murphy, said wearing a camera also appeared to have a positive impact on staff confidence.

"Staff reported that the presence of the camera and having the ability to activate it, positively influenced de-escalation of any potential aggression or violence in certain situations," she said.

"Importantly, we are assured that there has been no impact on patient care, and the privacy and dignity of patients has been maintained throughout the trial period."

Speaking to the assembly this week, Health Minister Mike Nesbitt said he was "very much in favour of body-worn cameras".

"There is evidence that they are a successful and appropriate deterrent," he said.

"The pilots will run their course. I hope that we will end up with body-worn cameras being available to all HSC staff who work in areas where there is engagement with patients or service users where appropriate."