Staffing levels Staffing levels are perceived to be too low and there are often increased stress levels within the staff group. This increases the fear of violence in both patients and staff. There is a lack of people to whom service users can talk and a lack of escorts to enable service users to participate in therapy and social groups and to leave the clinical setting. The groups expressed great concern regarding staff attitudes towards people with mental health problems. These include physical abuse, racism, ridicule of service users and ridicule by other staff members of staff seeming to be 'too soft'.
Anger is caused when staff seem to single-out specific patients or other staff members.
This problem seems to be particularly great in special hospitals. Clinical staff must not share confidential information with other patients or with members of staff who should not have access to this information. Such breaches of confidentiality raise patients' anger levels. Community psychiatric nurses must let service users know if they are not able to keep appointments. Interventions, for example medication, physical restraint and seclusion, must never be used as a punishment or threat.