THOUSANDS of healthcare workers across Dorset were bullied, harassed or abused by patients or members of the public last year.

Latest figures reveal a quarter of staff who responded to the latest NHS Staff Survey were victims.

At the Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals Trust around 2,050 employees responded to the survey, which also asked workers about incidents of physical violence at work.

One in eight said they had also suffered physical violence, along with one in five of the 1,800 respondents at Poole Hospital and one in eight at the Dorset Healthcare University Trust, where 2,740 people took part in the survey.

The figures were revealed just a week after the launch of the #Unacceptable campaign, intended to protect members of the emergency services from violence and abuse.

Poole Hospital’s chief operating officer Mark Mould said he was committed to minimising security risk to patients, staff and visitors.

And Ken Wenman, chief executive of South Western Ambulance, said the threat of attack or abuse was “totally unacceptable".

He said: “We will take whatever action is necessary to ensure that our staff are protected and those responsible for such attacks are prosecuted.”

The government has now announced new measures to better protect health service staff in England, calling for a “zero tolerance” approach.

Healthcare workers' union Unison said that anyone threatening or abusing NHS staff “should be prosecuted”.

Head of health Sara Gorton said: “No one should be abused, threatened or attacked at work, especially when all they’re trying to do is help people.”

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has introduced the first NHS violence reduction strategy, a series of measures designed to safeguard NHS workers against deliberate attacks and abuse.

Mr Hancock said it was “unacceptable” health workers had been subjected to violence and aggression.

The Department for Health and Social Care said that the NHS was partnering with the police and the Crown Prosecution Service to prosecute offenders quickly.

The Care Quality Commission will also be scrutinising individual trusts based on their plans to reduce violence against staff in order to identify those which need further help to protect their employees.

Mr Hancock said that staff will also be provided with better training to deal with violent situations.

“I have made it my personal mission to ensure NHS staff feel safe and secure at work," Mr Hancock said.

The plans follow the Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act, introduced earlier this year, which doubled the maximum prison sentence for assaulting an emergency worker from six months to a year.