Tuesday, 24 January 2012

Reality Shows – Dangerous To Your Health?

Well, apparently, if you are a NHS worker:
More patients and visitors are attacking staff at Staffordshire's biggest hospital every year.

Latest figures show 165 workers were assaulted at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire in 2010/11.

That is up from 105 in 2008/09 and 148 in 2009/10.
And this is the fault of fly-on-the-wall TV? Really?
Union leaders today blamed the rise on gritty fly-on-the-wall television documentaries, which can glorify clashes with the emergency services.
In just what way do they ‘glorify’ them? Pretty much every one I’ve ever seen – and I don’t watch that many – makes it quite clear that this is unacceptable.

You’d have to be a complete moron to think…

Oh, wait.
Unison branch spokesman Geoff Wilson said: "The vast majority of sensible people watch these documentaries and are horrified if they see nurses, police, firefighters and ambulance workers being attacked simply for doing their jobs.

"But there are a worrying few out there who watch someone being hit in other parts of the country and then think it's all right for them to get one back at what they see as authority when they need emergency services in North Staffordshire.

"We are more than happy with how our local health trusts are doing their best to protect staff, but what you do about people copying what they see on television is another matter."
In other words, you can’t find a way to blame the health trusts for this, so you’re going after TV companies? How about you go after the people that actually do it?

Because I rather doubt they are rabid reality tv watchers anyway, at least, not that sort of reality tv.
Managers have put the rise in attacks down to staff being more willing to report incidents.
Urged by their union, no doubt. So….maybe they should be taking their share of the blame?

Why not? After all, it makes about as much sense as blaming Channel 4 or the BBC…
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6 comments:

  1. Captain Haddock24 January 2012 at 12:35

    Its not only documentaries which "glorify" attacks & assaults on NHS A&E staff or the Police ..

    Drama also has its part to play eg "Casualty", "Holby" & "The Bill" to name just three ..

    And where did those programme makers get their ideas, info & inspiration from ? ..

    Why, from two retired Met Police Inspectors, in the case of "The Bill" & from a retired Senior A&E Nurse Manager in the cases of "Casualty" & "Holby" ..

    Whilst I'd roundly condemn anyone who attacks or assaults Police, A&E Staff etc in the course of their work, they aren't being helped by former colleagues only too glad to make a buck or two, now that they're no longer on the front line ..

    The answer lies (as ever) with the Courts .. make the sentences handed down for such assaults so stiff, that people will think more than twice before committing them .. and make inebriation, as a form of mitigation, totally unacceptable ..

    I won't be holding my breath though ..

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  2. Reds under the bed24 January 2012 at 13:17

    Odd how the union man says that these attacks on staff are the result of people using these attacks to 'get one back at what they see as authority'

    My view of the unions is this is just what they do when the 'authority' is an elected government. Doesn't help when you hear the endless language of the left who are always talking about 'fighting injustice' and 'battling for workers rights.'

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  3. Macheath24 January 2012 at 15:06

    But there are a worrying few out there who watch someone being hit in other parts of the country and then think it's all right for them to get one back at what they see as authority

    Sounds a bit too rational to me.

    Back in my early days at the chalkface, we used to rush home to watch Grange Hill - this would mean we were prepared for events the next day when pupils would replicate whatever they had seen done on TV the night before.

    I knew students based in all the local schools, and all reported seeing the same phenomenon at work; from egg-throwing to bursting paper bags of rice in the hallways, from snatching girls' hair-ribbons to mobbing smaller kids in the corridors, Phil Redmond's will was done in schools as it was on television.

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  4. Anonymous24 January 2012 at 23:55

    Maybe , just maybe , the assaulters of NHS staff have watched the maltreatement of their friends or relatives and exacted the only justice available.

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  5. JuliaM25 January 2012 at 05:27

    "And where did those programme makers get their ideas, info & inspiration from ? ..

    Why, from two retired Met Police Inspectors, in the case of "The Bill" & from a retired Senior A&E Nurse Manager.."

    Quite!

    "My view of the unions is this is just what they do when the 'authority' is an elected government. "

    Especially one they didn't buy...err, vote for, I meant!

    "Sounds a bit too rational to me."

    Me too. I doubt habitual offenders are big fans of the sort of shows he means anyway.

    "Maybe , just maybe , the assaulters of NHS staff have watched the maltreatement of their friends or relatives and exacted the only justice available."

    That does indeed get mentioned in the comments...

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  6. jonathan25 January 2012 at 10:07

    Hmm. Didn't Staffordshire hospitals kill 1200 people recently? No scandal there for the unions to be concerned about.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-stoke-staffordshire-13620261

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