Aggressive behaviour continues to affect almost six in 10 healthcare workers despite several initiatives to remedy the problem, a survey by the national statistics agency CBS has shown.
The figures for 2024 are practically on a par with those from 2020 and 2019 when almost 60% of care workers also said they had experienced threatening behaviour from patients, or their relatives and friends.
In 2024, care workers staged a two-minute silent protest when a member of staff at a mental health clinic was stabbed to death in Heerlen.
Measures which have been taken, including security staff at hospitals, training for care workers and awareness campaigns have not led to a decline in incidents, the CBS concluded.
The survey showed that almost half of care workers experienced verbal aggression, such as shouting and swearing. A quarter said they had been bullied, and one in five said they had been physically attacked. Some 10% experienced threats and intimidation.
People working in mental health institutions are more often affected by aggression, including sexual intimidation and attacks. Specialists, such as social workers and psychologists, reported threats and discrimination as the most frequent form of aggression.
Both men and women experience aggression in equal measure, the survey showed.
However, men are more often the victim of stalking, blackmail, threatening mail or threats to family members while women have to cope with sexual intimidation, from remarks to threats of rape.
Care workers not only experience harassment from patients. One in three also reported being bullied colleagues or managers.
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