Summary
Statistics from NHS Protect on physical assaults against NHS employees indicate that patients aged 75 and over accounted for 57% of violent incidents on wards, between 2010 and 2015 in England. It is estimated that 4% of the assaults involved centenarian patients.
The disproportionate number of incidents against NHS staff on hospital wards involving older people appears to reflect the difficulties in caring for the confused elderly. Other interpretations may be available.
Reference
Fordham, C. (2016). Over-75s ‘perpetrators of NHS assaults’. London: BBC Health News (BBC Radio 5 Live), July 19th 2016.
