It's tough enough being a nurse on the days when they are simply doing their basic job of treating and comforting sick people.

But all too often, nurses and other health workers are being abused or attacked by the very people they are trying to protect.

There are scores of cases in Brighton and Hove alone each year involving health workers who are assaulted by angry patients, and sometimes by their carers.

It was a central concern at a roadshow held yesterday by their governing body, the Central Council for Nursing.

Assaults are also a big concern for employers such as South Downs Health NHS Trust which deals with people who have mental problems.

While the first duty of any health worker is to help patients, this is hard to do if they are being aggressive and abusive.

In serious cases, the step has sometimes to be taken to withdraw treatment because the patients are too violent.

No one wants this to happen and part of the training all health workers must have is in how to calm patients down and cope with problems that worry them, such as delays in receiving treatment.

It helps if nurses and other workers are given the pay and a career structure that encourages them to remain within the NHS.

The more experienced and dedicated these workers are, the more likely they are to be able to deal with difficult patients.