The Emergency Workers Act will extend protection to health workers in the community, as regulations are laid before Parliament today.

Although the Act currently provides legal protection to ambulance workers, doctors, nurses and midwives working in a hospital or responding to an emergency it does not cover GPs, other doctors, nurses or midwives working in the community, unless they are responding to an emergency.

Minister for Public Health Shona Robison said: "The brutal knife attack on a GP in her surgery in Glasgow back in August was a shocking incident and highlighted that health workers working in the community are vulnerable.

"The Emergency Workers Act passed by the Scottish Parliament in 2005 was an important step forward in giving NHS workers greater legal protection. But it doesn't go far enough."

Robison added: "I will lay before Parliament the regulations necessary to extend the Emergency Workers Act to doctors, nurses and midwives whenever and wherever they are on duty."

The draft order will be debated by the Subordinate Legislation Committee and the Lead Committee.

However, UNISON’s Scottish Organiser, Dave Watson, said that while it was welcome that a "small number of extra people" are now to be covered by this legislation, it is "very disappointing that the government has not taken the opportunity to extend the act to cover the many public service workers who face threats and abuse daily in working in the community".

"The Act is called the Emergency Workers Act – not the Emergency Health Workers Act – and it was intended to cover all types of public service workers in emergency situations. We have long argued that it should cover public service workers in non-emergency situations, like social care workers in residential care and home care; education workers in schools; environmental officers tracking illegal dumping and enforcing safety legislation; traffic wardens and community safety wardens; utility workers; and also many other health service workers – physiotherapists, occupational therapists and others who have to put up with unacceptable behaviour from the public and clients.

"We hope there will be an opportunity to amend these regulations, to take account of the many people providing our services who need protection from unacceptable threats and violence."

Related news items:

• 'Benchmark' for rape investigations created
• 'Inappropriate' for mentally ill to be imprisoned
• Abolition of transport disability body “will reduce voice of
• Alcohol ban debate welcomed by campaigners
• Alcohol strategy consultation shows mixed responses