The number of health and social care staff who have been assaulted by patients has reduced significantly over the past 6 years, according to the Care Quality Commission's annual NHS staff survey. 

This decline could be down to a series of measures to stop violence against NHS staff.  A blueprint for health and social care staff, whether they are a qualified social worker or a social work assistant, could now be introduced after these measures have been deemed to be successful.

The amount of staff reporting physical attacks by patients has decreased from 15 per cent in 2003, to 11 per cent in 2009. Those reporting bullying, harassment and abuse by patients has fallen from 28 per cent in 2003, to 21 per cent in 2009.

The reason there is talk of a blueprint to be introduced is because only local reporting systems exist at present, which makes it harder to analyse the problem on a national level. Though employers must report incidents leading to staff absence of more than three days, to the Health and Safety Executive.

Steve Sumner, national health and safety policy advisor for LGE, told the Community Care website: "The NHS may have their own system but they are a small sector compared to local government."

The problem is compounded by the diversity of the adult social care workforce in England although there is a total of 1.5 million workers, around one million work in the independent sector and just 220,000 are employed by councils.