Oxford University Hospitals trust to use body cams at Horton General

Some staff at the Horton General Hospital in Banbury will start wearing body cameras

Body cameras will be worn by more NHS staff after a successful trial that began at the start of the year.

Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) NHS Foundation Trust introduced the cameras at its John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford in January.

OUH said staff at the Horton General Hospital in Banbury will wear them as part of an effort to cut violence.

It said reports of abuse against workers at the JR had been cut from 180 in November 2021 to 94 in April.

Sam Foster, OUH's chief nursing officer, said 96% of emergency department staff at the JR agreed the cameras are needed.

The cameras form part of OUH's No Excuses campaign, which seeks to clamp down on assaults against its staff.

The campaign was launched by the Oxford University Hospitals NHS trust on Monday

The cameras are only used by frontline staff who are on shift and have been given training to use them.

They are only switched on when a person is being violent or abusive. They are told that the camera is being turned on by staff before they are recorded.

Ms Foster said: "Abuse towards our staff is completely unacceptable, and will not be tolerated under any circumstances.

"Abuse takes many forms - it doesn't have to be physical violence.

"Verbal abuse and aggression can be just as damaging, and can take a huge toll on someone's wellbeing - in time, this wears people down and can potentially lead to increased sickness and absence."