Rape and sexual assault in hospitals.

This is absolutely horrific, I just don't know what to say

VioletSky
Neither do I. I watched this Professor talking about this horror and thought i must have shifted to a parallel universe 😡

I'm struggling to understand the real figures. The DM also says At least 2,088 rapes and 4,451 sexual assaults were reported between January 2019 and October 2022 – a rate of 33 a week. The data does not detail whether the offences were carried out at NHS or private facilities. But a shocking one in seven took place on hospital wards
So is that over 6000 on health care facilities?
And 1 in 7 of those on hospital wards
Where were the rest? It's a usual DM head line shocker which needs careful examination.

VioletSky

This is absolutely horrific, I just don't know what to say

Absolutely! Just terrible.

Does the data differentiate between acute, community, and mental health wards? In my experience the vast majority of sexual attacks in hospitals are by patients suffering with dementia, with low staffing levels in ward areas being the major factor.

Casdon

Does the data differentiate between acute, community, and mental health wards? In my experience the vast majority of sexual attacks in hospitals are by patients suffering with dementia, with low staffing levels in ward areas being the major factor.

It's the DM Casdon they don't do accuracy or detail

If you Google “Women’s Rights Network”, there’s more info on this, including the age of some of the victims and how some Police Forces acted. Or should I say didn’t!

Actually what I meant to say was the full report can be downloaded if you Google WRN, was distracted by my phone, sorry.

The womans rights network is all a bit woo woo

There are surely better sources

It is shocking.
But why does it not surprise me?

What changes have been made since Jimmy Saville?

😡

It is shocking, and surely a reflection on society as a whole. According to The Times, one incident in 7 was on a hospital ward. NHS England has said that the figures were 'unacceptable'. Not sure what they are going to do about it though. My husband was in A & E last year I had to go back to the car, I returned through the main entrance and took a wrong turn. Managed to get back to his bay A & E without being challenged. These places are wide open and people are so vulnerable.

They just need more staff. When I was last in hospital 8 years ago a ward clerk was on duty during the day. The medical staff are rushed off their feet and can't possibly police the wards. More security staff maybe? Preferably female.

23 rears ago I was the victim of a terrifying assault in hospital.
I was on a female ward with a male ward opposite and a Nurses station in between.
I had a knife held against my throat by a very sinister male, he told me not to sleep too tight because “you will get it”.
Previously this man had kept coming on to the ward, passing the nurses station as he did so, he was never questioned, apparently numerous women complained but staff said he was doing no harm.

The NHS dealt with this very badly, their reaction was to ship me out to a nearby private hospital.

My consultant couldn’t sanction this as the nature of my surgery meant there needed to be trained staff on hand to deal with a particular crisis that can happen within 48 hours of surgery.

The man was arrested so I was safe for a few hours but the Police discharged him and he was found back on the ward at 4.00am.
He was re admitted to his ward to the astonishment of my consultant, I had to go home and have district nursing care.

Thankfully I was not raped or sexually assaulted but I was left with severe PTSD.

The trust eventually accepted responsibility and the hospital was the first in the country to have a 24/7 manned Police station within the building.

I did not sue.

There are signs everywhere warning the public not to abuse staff but nothing to warn patients of the consequences of assaulting fellow patients.

I would not go into hospital without a rape alarm.

VioletSky It was the WRN/Prof Jo Phoenix who investigated/wrote the report. Without them, would we ever have known just how shocking and numerous these crimes are? I really don’t understand what you mean by the phrase “a bit woo woo”. Could you please explain?

Sago That is just too too dreadful. I am so sorry you went through that.

A rape alarm sounds a good idea but it's hardly relaxing and conducive to recovery when a woman has to lie in bed in a vulnerable situation with all senses on red alert for problems. Disgraceful.

When MissOops had a serious operation in hospital over 20 yrs ago I was very concerned that her room was only 2 doors away from the male toilets, which seemed to be in constant use, She would have been unable to get help as she was bedridden, so I slept in the floor!

The staff very kindly gave me a large duvet to wrap myself in, I slept there for 4 nights and then we took her home.

I’m not sure that would be allowed now though.

Granydarkhair
I think some posters might have a problem with the opinions of Professor Jo Phoenix because she’s a gender critical feminist.

The Byline Times broke this story in November last year, and has a bit more detail.
‘An investigation by this newspaper has shockingly unearthed that 4,100 patients, visitors and NHS staff were raped (1,364) or sexually assaulted (at least 2,744) in a hospital setting between January 2019 and September 2022 – with 633 raped or assaulted while on a hospital ward. At least three of the incidents were against a female child aged under 13.’

As I understand it, this relates to all hospital settings, NHS and private in England and Wales, and presumably includes hospitals for forensic psychiatry, adult and older adult mental health, acute, community and specialist. It’s important to understand the context behind the sensationalised headings I think. I’m not defending the figures, however what I would say is that it will never be zero - additional staff would help enormously, but when people lie in wait for victims in car parks, assault them in public toilets etc. there will always be serious incidents.

The WRN website has far too many exclamation marks

Far too many links to "buy our merch"

And Far too much woo woo, trans people taking our rights

It's the Britain First of feminism

I would sue the hospital- it’s the only way things will change. They have a duty of care to their patients and excuses about insufficient staff are just that,excuses.

AGAA4

They just need more staff. When I was last in hospital 8 years ago a ward clerk was on duty during the day. The medical staff are rushed off their feet and can't possibly police the wards. More security staff maybe? Preferably female.

I don’t think this is a staffing issue, in my instance the wards were fully staffed, it was a case of nobody being willing to remonstrate with the perpetrator.

He had been leaving the hospital ward to get drugs in the car park.
He was swanning around the female ward and not once did staff ask him to return to his bed.

Security were OK, my husband was telephoned and told that he must come to the hospital alone, my children were not allowed to visit with him, he had to come at a specific time so a security guard could be present.

All this time he was having a lovely time, treating the hospital like an hotel and having 3 meals a day and a bed.
How he was ever accepted back on to a ward is beyond me.

Months after the event, a nurse who had cared for me saw me in a restaurant and asked if she could meet up with me as she had a lot to get off her chest.

She came to our home and sat with my husband and I, what she told us was not a surprise, the ward was badly run, senior nursing staff were usually skiving somewhere, notes and records were all done last minute on a wing and a prayer and staff had a “secret smoking room”.
She described it as a “shit show”
She was willing to put her neck on the line if we decided to sue the trust.

Ok VioletSky you take the anticipated view, though I usually see woo woo as meaning flakey new age, rather than fascist but what do I know.
My question is - are yiu suggesting the information in this report be dismissed because it’s author is gender critical? I’d find that a bit Britain first

Would I suggest the author incorrect on this subject because they are gender critical?

No, read my first comment, information taken at face value, unless she genuinely cannot comprehend the data given to her from other sources

Would I assign a general level of incorrectness based on her being gender critical?

Yes, trans people want their rights, not hers

What happened to you Sago was a disgrace.
Twice I’ve been in hospital and found myself next to patients with dementia. Those patients wouldn’t leave me in peace. Both times they came to my bed numerous times, touched my things, wouldn’t leave when I requested them to, and one opened my bedside locker and messed around with my belongings, finally taking my slippers away and refusing to return them. Staff shrugged their shoulders and said there was no other place to put them and there was nothing they could do apart from retrieve my slippers and bring them back to me. I was in hospital with Clostridium Difficille which makes you really ill, the second time in hospital with Covid. Neither time was I in a fit place to do battle over demented patients interfering with me and my things.