A RISING number of hospital workers are being attacked and verbally abused by patients and visitors every day.

Under-pressure frontline staff, including doctors, nurses, healthcare assistants and receptionists, have reported more than 750 incidents across Sussex over a one year period.

This is higher than the 610 recorded the year before at hospitals in Brighton, Haywards Heath, Worthing, Chichester, Eastbourne and St Leonards.

Incidents ranged from pinching, scratching and pushing to punching, kicking and spitting.

Hospital bosses have said they have a zero tolerance approach to assaults and abuse and legal action will be taken if appropriate.

However, of the 754 incidents across Sussex recorded last year just 23 resulted in criminal action (3%).

Union bosses said that as a result staff are not reporting incidents as "nothing is seen as being done".

They fear the figures could therefore be even higher.

Gary Palmer, from the GMB, said: “We want to see all cases of assault - verbal or physical - progressed as far as required to ensure all frontline NHS nursing and support staff are free from the fear of any abuse at work.”

Hospital bosses said a large number of cases can be related to medical factors, such as people having mental health problems, suffering a head injury or becoming disorientated after coming round from an operation.

However, others have involved those who have been drinking or on drugs or have become angry and aggressive for other reasons.

These are the situations where the possibility of further action could be taken.

The county’s three major hospital trusts have come under unprecedented pressure this year, leading to long waits in accident and emergency departments and cancelled operations.

This can create more potentially volatile situations which staff have to deal with.

Confrontations are more likely to happen in A&E departments, particularly on Friday and Saturday nights when more people are out drinking.

Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust reported 393 physical and verbal assaults between April 2014 and the end of March, a sharp rise on the 175 reported the year before.

However, numbers at Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust dropped from 251 to 189.

East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust also reported a slight drop from 184 to 172.

Gary Palmer from the GMB union, said: “The GMB want to see all cases of assault verbal or physical progressed as far as required to ensure all frontline NHS nursing and support staff are free from the fear of any abuse at work.”

Western Sussex Hospitals director of organisation development and leadership, Denise Farmer, said: “Any assault is inexcusable, but an assault on someone who is providing care for patients is simply unacceptable, in all circumstances.

“We have a zero tolerance approach to abuse and have been encouraging staff to report all incidents so we can do all we can to protect them as well as sanction those responsible.

A spokesman for Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals said: “All staff are given conflict management training on induction to the trust and some staff receive training in physical intervention.

“We also have CCTV coverage in our hospitals and we work closely with the police to ensure any criminal behaviour is reported.”