HOSPITAL staff in Hampshire face some of the highest levels of violence in the country.
Official figures published today show that NHS staff working in Fareham and Gosport are the seventh most likely to suffer a physical attack in England with 114 incidents recorded for every 1,000 workers in just one year.
Only six other NHS trusts in the country recorded more attacks per worker during the same period.
The 2,000-strong workforce of the Fareham and Gosport Primary Care Trust suffered a total of 238 attacks in 2004/5.
The trust, which is responsible for managing Gosport War Memorial Hospital, is one of a handful in England which directly cared for mental health patients, increasing the risk of assault.
Across Hampshire 1,018 attacks were recorded in 2004/5 the most recent year for which data is available.
The figures, published by the NHS Security Management Service, show that 244 assaults occurred in East Hampshire PCT which manages Havant War Memorial, Victoria Cottage and Petersfield Community Hospitals.
That is equivalent to 92 incidents per 1,000 staff.
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