Abuse by patients is so common it is now "part and parcel of the job", a Bradford nurse said today.

Sister Julie Parr, 43, who works on the orthopaedic ward at Bradford Royal Infirmary, has been the victim of a physical assault.

"The patient had been in the ward all day and I was trying to talk her into having treatment, " she said.

"She was wearing high heels and she started kicking and scratching me."

Sister Parr, who has been in the nursing profession for 23 years, said verbal abuse is so common that it has now become a daily occurrence.

The situation has got worse, she said, as patients vent their frustration on staff.

"People are more aware and know they should be seen within certain times, " she said. "But sometimes circumstances are beyond our control."

Her colleague, Sister Angela Pickles, 40, said: "We are dealing with verbally abusive clients every day and once or twice a week we have people who get more nasty and we have to get security involved."

She added: "We work very hard as a team here and you have days where the clinics run into each other. You have to work through without a break.

"We do it because it is a vocation and people come into this job to help other people who need it."

Sister Pickles said that verbal abuse was so common that staff dealt with it quickly but were often shaken up after the incident and had to take time away from the ward to collect themselves before going back to their job.

"I have had times when I've thought, 'What do I do this for?' but you have to pick yourself up and carry on."

Aspokesman for the Royal College of Nursing said: "We would support anyone on the receiving end of an abusive incident who wants to take action.

"We endorse making a report to the hospital trust and to the police. We would also recommend that individuals take every opportunity to go on training courses.

"Our safety reps are working with organisations to make the reporting process easier, to make sure systems are in place and that counselling is available and accessible.

"It's important that nurses know their rights and know they have the right to withdraw from situations where they feel threatened."

The Telegraph & Argus End the Abuse campaign is aimed at reducing the number of attacks on health staff after statistics showed that more than 400 staff at BRI and St Luke's hospitals had suffered abuse in the first six months of this year.