Problems with boozed up patients means Morriston Accident and Emergency should have CCTV

12.00.00am GMT Thu 17th Dec 2009

The Welsh Liberal Democrat Assembly Member for South Wales West, Peter Black has called on the Health Minister to include the accident and emergency unit at Morriston Hospital in her pilot scheme for the installation of CCTV cameras.

Mr. Black made his call after figures showed that the A&E unit there receives the third highest number of patients with alcohol related problems in the whole of Wales. Currently, the pilot scheme only includes accident and emergency units at Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr Tydfil, the Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport, the West Wales General Hospital in Carmarthen and Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor.

"Anybody who has sat in any accident and emergency unit on a Friday or a Saturday night will know that patients arriving in an inebriated state present huge challenges for staff," said Mr. Black. "They can be disruptive and aggressive and often staff are put at risk of violence or abuse dealing with them.

"Recent figures released by the Welsh Government reveal that during 2007 and 2008 a total of 4,950 patients with alcohol related problems were admitted to Morriston A&E. The comparative figure for Carmarthen is 1,781 and yet they are having CCTV and Morriston is not.

"I do not want to make this a competition between hospitals for these facilities. Ideally staff at all accident and emergency units should have the added protection of CCTV cameras. However, questions need to be asked as to what criteria was applied that saw Carmarthen favoured and Morriston not.

"The Minister should add Morriston A&E to this pilot scheme so that staff there get the extra security that cameras offer and that the management are able to use footage to prosecute any incidents to the full extent of the law."