Children front campaign to tackle abuse against Jersey healthcare staff

Six children of healthcare workers are leading a new campaign to address abusive behaviour towards Jersey’s Health and Care staff.

The initiative highlights the scale of the problem, with more than one incident of abuse reported every day. So far this year, 452 cases have been logged, including physical, verbal, racial and sexual abuse.

Figures show that over half of these incidents (238) involved physical assaults. Nine were categorised as sexual abuse, three as racial, and six included the use of a weapon. A further 151 reports involved verbal abuse, of which ten were racially motivated, five were sexual in content, and four included threats involving a weapon.

The campaign features posters and social media messages with slogans such as “My Mummy works here”, designed to deter aggression from patients. Alongside this, clinical co-ordinators have been appointed to train staff in recognising early warning signs and in de-escalating difficult situations.

Children including Malachi and Michaella, whose father works as a charge nurse, are the faces of the campaign. They join others in representing the families behind the island’s healthcare service.

The Health Minister has underlined that the campaign seeks to protect frontline staff and reinforce a zero-tolerance approach to abusive behaviour.