THE Government is being urged to set up an inquiry into the increasing number of violent assaults against health workers.

Unison said incidents had jumped by a fifth in England over the past five years, describing the situation as "completely unacceptable".

Earlier this year Nicky Scopes, 41, was sentenced to an indefinite hospital order after stabbing Sister Karen Royles twice in the arm with a kitchen knife after seeking an injury to his wrist at Victoria Hospital in Wimborne on December 9 last year The union said latest figures showed the number of assaults topped 70,000 in the last year.

Unison's head of health Christina McAnea said: "Increased pressure on the NHS and too few staff means that all too often lengthy waits in accident and emergency lead to people taking out their frustration on those very staff who are trying to help them.

"Staff shouldn't have to work in fear of their safety when they are only trying to care for patients and save lives.

"The Government's squeeze on funding and the resulting shortage of nurses and ambulance staff merely makes the problem worse.

"Hospital trusts must take a zero tolerance approach to every incident, give staff all the support they need and encourage them to report each and every incident to the police.

"The Government should set up an inquiry to look at ways of keeping NHS staff safe - especially those working in high risk areas such as the ambulance service and mental health."