In Catalonia, the government is processing a new law that would allow administrative fines of between €300 and €600,000 for verbal and physical attacks on healthcare staff. Officials say the penalty would depend on the severity of the aggression.
The measure would apply to public and private healthcare centres across Catalonia. It would protect not only regulated healthcare professions, but also all employees who have direct contact with users.
Jordi Vilana, director general of professionals at the Department of Health, said there is a need to reinforce the culture of notification and reporting. He said the 3,039 attacks on healthcare professionals recorded last year in Catalonia do not reflect the full scale of the problem.
Vilana said, “One aggression is too many, but there is a deficit of notifications.” He added that the figures are partial because not all centres are yet integrated into the Observatory for Situations of Violence in the Healthcare Sector of Catalonia, known as Osvasc. All centres are expected to be included by the end of the year. For background on the wider public health context, see our Catalonia news coverage.
Osvasc has been consolidating records of attacks on healthcare staff since last year. Vilana said it has also compiled and analysed more than 100 existing action plans from different centres to develop a standard model with minimum content that each centre will adapt to its own circumstances.
He also said action guidelines have been agreed with the Mossos d'Esquadra, and that it is important for each centre to have a reference officer. Vilana described violence against healthcare workers as a universal phenomenon that generates international concern, and said Catalonia's strength lies in Osvasc's participatory governance structure, which includes trade unions, professional associations, employers' organisations, CatSalut, and consumer and user associations.
Vilana said he is particularly concerned about repeat offenders, who account for more than a quarter of all aggressors. He said aggressiveness is worsened by social discontent, frustration, and a feeling of impunity. The bill is currently in its public exposure phase and is expected to be published this year.