A Sutton Coldfield hospital is stepping up security from as it opens an on-site police station in a joint venture with West Midlands Police.
Officers will be located at Good Hope Hospital, allowing them to respond more quickly to incidents, as well as providing a reassuring site for staff, patients and visitors, who can also pop in to report a crime or talk to the neighbourhood team.
Phil Chambers, the hospital’s lead security manager, said: “The police office is a great way for the hospital to work with West Midlands Police.
“We have had a partnership with the police for a number of years and the new office is just one way we are developing the service and security at the hospital.”
A Healthcare Commission survey, published last year, found that more than one in ten staff across the region’s hospitals had been victims of assault, with 12 per cent of staff at Good Hope reporting attacks.
Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Good Hope, Heartlands and Solihull hospitals, employs more than 10,000 staff.
