Jessica O'ConnorMore than half of care workers suffer violence including being bitten, headbutted and chocked at work, a GMB investigation has shown.
In a survey of more than 1,700 GMB care workers, 52% said they had been physically assaulted at work.
A separate Freedom of information request by GMB to the Health and Safety Executive revealed that, in the past five years, care workers have suffered 6,469 injuries serious enough to prevent them from doing for job for at least seven days.
More than 1,200 of those suffered a ‘specified injury,’ which can include broken bones, brain injury, amputations, and loss of consciousness.
In 2023/24, violence accounted for 39% of all reported workplace injuries in the residential care sector.
Across the whole workforce in Britain, that figure is 9%.
GMB’s survey showed two thirds (66%) have been verbally assaulted at work.
Will Dalton, GMB National Officer, said: “Care workers face physical violence day in day out, including the kind of attacks that would be treated criminal offences in most other jobs.
“Carers do a tough, skilful physically demanding job – usually for pennies above the minimum wage.
“They do it because they are dedicated and want to do the best for the people they look after.
“But as the care staffing black hole shows, that dedication has its limits.”
He added: “When attacks do happen, care workers need to be taken seriously and backed to the hilt by their employers – that’s why GMB is calling for better risk assessments and tougher sentences for those found guilty of attacking care workers.
“Ultimately, carers need to be paid a minimum of £15 per hour if we don’t want the entire system to collapse.”
