Staff working for Bradford District Care Trust are more likely to be physically assaulted at work than any other NHS worker in the country, new figures reveal.

Official statistics released by the NHS Security Management Service on the number of assaults by individual health organisations, show the Care Trust, which runs mental health and learning disability services in the district, has the highest assault rate in the country.

Figures for 2005/06 reveal there were 1,672 assaults, a rate of 615.3 per 1,000 Care Trust staff. The trust, which runs Lynfield Mount Hospital and mental health wards at Airedale General Hospital, employs 2,717 people.

The figure is an improvement on 2004/05 when the rate was 848.5 assaults per 1,000 staff, with a total of 2,234 reported assaults. During the year the trust employed 2,633 staff.

In the past year Airedale NHS Trust staff reported 30 assaults on its 2,549 staff, a rate of 11.9 per 1,000 staff. This was slightly down on the previous year when there were 33 assaults, a rate of 12.4 per 1,000 staff.

Bradford Teaching Hospitals reported 142 assaults last year, a rate of 30.3 per 1,000 staff. This was up on the previous year when there were 102 assaults, a rate of 19.9 per 1,000 staff Airedale Primary Care Trust and North Bradford PCT reported no assaults last year, Bradford City tPCT had two assaults and Bradford South and West PCT four.

Nationally the statistics show there were 58,695 physical assaults against NHS staff in England, 1,690 fewer than in 2004/05 and one assault for every 23 staff members.

Of these assaults 41,345 were against mental health and learning disability staff, equivalent to one assault per five staff members.

In the past year 128 people were prosecuted for attacking NHS staff in Yorkshire and the North East.

Health Minister Rosie Winterton said: "It's totally unacceptable that NHS staff should face violence and aggression in the course of their job.

"Thankfully, these statistics show that the tide is turning and we are finally seeing a reduction in the number of assaults.

"However, this does not mean we can rest on our laurels. There are still too many attacks on staff and for this reason, following our public consultation, we are proposing to make anti-social and nuisance behaviour on NHS premises a criminal offence.

"By giving the NHS the power to remove a potential threat, the offence would help reduce violent attacks on staff.

"This, alongside an increase in prosecutions, conflict resolution training for over 750,000 staff and our close working relationship with the Association of Chief Police Officers, means we can win the war against these violent offenders."

Richard Hampton, head of the NHS Security Management Service, said: "These statistics are the most accurate on the issue in the history of the NHS.

"They show that the very hard work that has been undertaken in the last three years is beginning to bear fruit, making patients and staff safer.

"Most people respect NHS staff and would never dream of attacking them but the NHS SMS will continue to strive to create a safer and more secure environment for staff and patients."

The zero tolerance approach to assaults on NHS staff is one championed by the Telegraph & Argus End the Abuse campaign, which was launched to highlight the disturbing levels of attacks and abuse suffered by health workers in the district.

e-mail: claire.lomax@bradford.newsquest.co.uk