You’re ‘too gentle’ with those who abuse staff, police tell trust

NHS staff “tolerate too much” abuse and trusts are “too gentle” with perpetrators, police have told the workforce of a large district general hospital. 

The warning came from Thames Valley Police, who were invited by Royal Berkshire Foundation Trust chief executive James Blythe to join a recent staff webinar.

Mr Blythe told HSJ: “It’s been really difficult to get prosecutions in the past. Police tell us we’re far too gentle with it and that NHS staff tolerate too much. Police said we should tolerate less and report more.”

The trust had already teamed up with TVP under Mr Blythe’s predecessor Steve McManus as part of the force’s Operation Cavell. This sees every incident of assault against staff reviewed by dedicated investigators with an understanding of healthcare environments.

The trust itself is cracking down on abuse and aggression against staff by pursuing prosecutions. It has reported 10 cases of abuse to police this year. Three people have been charged, one case is with the Crown Prosecution Service, one resulted in an out-of-court settlement and the rest are being “looked at”.

Mr Blythe said the trust was now communicating “very openly and assertively to the local community” about the clampdown as part of its “no excuse for abuse” campaign. This included sharing the number of people prosecuted and/or banned from its hospital. 

He told HSJ: “The trust has a really important role to play in supporting staff practically and psychologically in pursuing prosecutions… This is supportive not just to them, but also to their colleagues because it prevents a recurrence.”

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Source: HSJ, 23 July 2026