Health board fined

摘要

Lothian Health Board has been fined for safety failings after a worker was attacked while making a home visit to a patient with mental health issues. The community psychiatric nurse was visiting a patient who had been suffering from psychiatric illnesses for more than 30 years when the attack happened. During the incident, in March 2009, the nurse was forced to the floor, threatened and had her hair pulled. Haddington Sheriff Court heard that at the time of the incident there were no risk assess- ments in place for community health team workers dealing with client violence or aggression, or for lone working in clients' homes. Lothian Health Board had further failed to provide such information, instruction, training and supervision as was necessary for this work, and failed to provide a safe system of work for home visits to such patients.