HEALTH staff are to receive self defence lessons, after an alarming number of attacks on employees.

So far this year, Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley Healthcare NHS Trust has recorded 159 physical and 132 verbal attacks on their staff.

Staff responded by spending some of the £25,000 allocated to each Trust in the NHS to help improve staff working environment on self defence classes.

They Blackburn Hyndburn and Ribble Valley Healthcare NHS Trust self defence classes are due to start in autumn, along with a staff suggestion scheme, a survey on harassment, counselling and help to quit smoking.

Communicare NHS Trust, in Accrington, is also spending some of its cash on personal safety training. Graham Mark, Blackburn Hyndburn and Ribble Valley Healthcare NHS Trust security manager, has welcomed the step to help protect employees.

He said: "Everybody in each Trust takes classes at a basic level in dealing with violence and aggression. We have just decided to go one step further and give our staff some extra protection if they want it.

"We at the Trust are doing everything in our power to help reduce the number of incidents and to step up safety levels in all areas of the hospitals. The problem with verbal and physical abuse is that of an on-going problem that occurs in many hospitals.

"We are currently trying to fight the problem because staff are becoming to feel at risk when they come in to work in certain high risk areas of the hospital, like on the mental health unit and accident and emergency, which is why we have opted to give all of our staff the option of taking the classes.

"They teach effective breakaway procedures if caught in a violent situation and generally how to deal with aggressive behaviour."

The purpose of the plan is to improve the working environment for staff and the cash is to be spent as they find best to help improve their working conditions. In the Blackburn NHS Trust's case their primary goal is to reduce the level of incidents in the hospital.

Graham added: "It is our main concern to help staff feel safe when at work, as well as patients. We have a number of schemes in place that play effective roles.

"We are looking to improve CCTV and we already have in place a number of personal attack alarms, as well as working closely with the police and the crime prosecution service."

Upgrading of staff facilities in every hospital as part of a wider programme to improve the working lives of NHS staff was welcomed by John Hutton, the Health Minister, who said: "The strength of the NHS lies in its staff and we are determined to make the NHS a better place to work.

"The way in which each Trust has spent the £25,000 was decided by the staff themselves -- reflecting their needs and priorities.

"We are committed to increasing numbers of doctors, nurses and allied health professionals, through recruitment drives and by encouraging trained staff to return to practice."

The NHS Plan set out that every NHS Hospital Trust in England would receive £25,000 to spend on improving their staff working environment.