Bodycams needed to protect hospital workers – Richmond

Ireland must follow the example of Northern Ireland and provide bodycams for security workers in hospitals according to a Fine Gael TD.

Dublin Rathdown TD, Neale Richmond said: “Frontline workers in our hospitals put themselves at risk day in and day out.

“The assaults taking place in our hospitals on a daily basis are staggering; 4,636 doctors and nurses were assaulted in 2020 alone.

“Often overlooked in the discussion of safety in hospitals are the security guards who provide our first line of defence in hospitals.

“These guards are in a vulnerable position and while the vast majority of patients are respectful and appreciative of their work, this is unfortunately not always the case.

“Two hospitals in Northern Ireland are trialling the use of bodycams for their security staff to curb the rate of assaults.

“Ireland must follow this example and provide our hospital security staff with bodycams to offer them the protection they deserve against horrific attacks.

“In May we saw a man jailed for an attack on a hospital security worker; these bodycams would help ensure that all perpetrators of such awful attacks are always brought to justice.

“Bodycams are on the way for Gardaí across Ireland in a sign of our support for our hard-working police force.

“We owe it to security workers in other industries to show them this same level of support.

“The Minister for Health must work with the HSE to formulate a plan to urgently provide this protection to our hospital security staff,” Deputy Richmond concluded.