Physical assaults on staff at Epsom and St Helier Hospitals have risen over the past year.

During the financial year of 2018-19 a total of 72 members of staff at the two hospitals were the victims of physical assaults. This is compared to 59 the year before.

In the same period there were also 112 verbal assaults on staff.

Now doctors and nurses are calling on patients to be respectful to staff.

Deputy head of nursing in A&E, Louise Tiernan,  said that physical and verbal assaults are sadly a regular occurrence in the department.

She said: “No-one should feel scared of coming to work, but sadly for us, that is a reality we sometimes have to face.

“We have an amazing team who are really good at de-escalating difficult situations and calming people down, but sometimes the behaviour of others is out of our hands.

“We all do the very best job we can, often in difficult circumstances – please bear that in mind when you come for treatment with us, and remember – if you want to use us, don’t abuse us.”

She added that she understands waiting in A&E can be frustrating but asks patients to talk to a member of staff before it gets “out of hand”.

Chief executive of the hospital trust, Daniel Elkeles, said: “Our staff work incredibly hard to care for people in their hour of need, and to have to endure physical attacks and violent outbursts while they do so is something we cannot accept.

“Every single member of the Epsom and St Helier team deserves to feel safe at work, and it is so disheartening that a very small minority of patients and visitors think it’s acceptable to verbally or physically assault our staff.”

To protect staff from violence both hospitals have a security team on-site 24 hours-a-day.

And staff are also given special training on how to manage difficult situations.

Mr Elkeles added: “The Trust has a zero tolerance policy against any kind of abusive or violent behaviour towards staff and we will not hesitate in contacting our on-site security team or the police as soon as it is necessary.

“Assaults on staff are never, ever justifiable and we will do everything we can to prevent them, including pushing for a criminal conviction.”