Reducing physical violence and developing a safety culture across wards in East London

Abstract

Violence is the biggest cause of reported safety incidents at East London NHS Foundation Trust. Evidence suggests the utility of structured risk assessment, discussion of violence in ward community meetings and the use of restraint and seclusion in psychiatric wards. The Tower Hamlets Violence Reduction Collaborative brought together six wards with the aim of reducing violence by 40% by the end of 2015. A collaborative learning system was used to test a bundle of four interventions on the four acute admissions wards and two psychiatric intensive care units. A 40% reduction in physical violence was seen across the six wards. Physical violence reduced from 12.1 incidents per 1000 occupied bed days in 2014 to 7.2 in 2015. Across the four general acute admissions wards there was a 57% reduction in physical violence. Key elements of the system that have been addressed through this work have been developing a more predictive approach, and developing a more open and shared experience of violence and aggression on the wards.