NEARLY 40 medics at Inverclyde Royal Hospital have been physically and verbally attacked in just SEVEN MONTHS, the Telegraph can reveal today.

The shocking statistic — branded ‘totally unacceptable’ by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) — has been released following a Freedom of Information request made by this newspaper.

It shows that 37 nurses and midwives at IRH were subjected to violent assaults and foul-mouthed verbal abuse whilst working to care for patients — and one other member of the hospital’s medical staff was also physically attacked.

The figures cover the seven-month period between 24 July 2013 and 28 February this year — because NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde did not record ‘patient physical assault on staff’ before July last year.

Brian Morton, RCN Scotland’s professional officer, said: “It’s shocking that nurses and midwives who care for patients at the hospital are being subjected to physical and verbal assaults.

“Unfortunately, however, these findings bear out our own recent survey among nurses across Scotland, which found that more than four out of 10 said that they had personally experienced harassment or violence by patients or their families in the last year.

“This is totally unacceptable.

“Nurses are already under pressure due to staff shortages and increasing demands on their time, they should not have to put up with verbal or physical assaults from those they are caring for or their families.

“The local health board has policies in place to deal with these distressing situations and must always listen to and support their staff when incidents occur. They must also always support them to report all incidences of physical assault to the police.” Nursing staff within the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) area — of which the IRH is part — say they have been punched, kicked, bitten and spat on, it has been reported.

Details released to the Tele today show that 25 IRH staff were physically assaulted over the seven-month period — 24 of them nurses and midwives.

A total of 13 nursing and midwifery staff have also had to put up with verbal abuse during that time.

The Scottish Government today said the figures were ‘clearly unacceptable’ and encouraged more victims of hospital attacks to report incidents.

A spokeswoman for health secretary Alex Neil said: “Our staff are the heart of our NHS and they deserve to be treated, at all times, with the utmost respect and courtesy.

“Unfortunately evidence shows that incidents of violent and aggressive abuse are a serious factor for healthcare workers in our hospitals and communities. This is clearly unacceptable.

“We will not tolerate assaults or abuse of any of our staff and have policies in place to provide and continuously improve a safer working environment.” The spokeswoman added: “We would urge any member of NHS staff who find themselves victims of such treatment to report it to management and when necessary to the police.

“Health boards should do all they can to support staff to minimise the risk of assaults and also ensure that staff are trained to deal with situations as they arise.” Management at NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde today said that a ‘strict zero-tolerance stance’ against violence on staff is currently in operation.

A spokeswoman for the health board told the Telegraph: “Nursing and midwifery make up the largest single workforce group in NHSGGC and these figures are reflective of this scale.

“All our staff deserve basic courtesy and respect and to be able to work without fear of intimidation, abuse or violence.

“Since the introduction of our violence and aggression policy in 2005 the number of staff now reporting violence towards them has increased and we fully encourage staff in their pursuit of taking the perpetrators of violence against them through the justice system.

“We take very seriously any act of physical or verbal abuse.”