Solutions developed by the Reducing violence and aggression in A&E project

The Reducing violence and aggression in A&E design team have developed two solutions which were developed with the following in mind:

1. This project is about people and requires a human approach to designing the A&E experience
2. Improving people’s experience of the service – individually and collectively – will help to improve their behaviour
3. The current system tries to contain the high level aggression and violence, rather than tackling the root causes and low level frustrations
4. Violence and aggression doesn’t only come from patients, but also concerned friends or relatives. At present, very little is done to address their needs
5. The solutions need to be retrofittable in every A&E across the country, regardless of department size, design or layout
6. The goal is to create a ‘humanising’ atmosphere by improving the relationships between people and the system
7. The first step is to acknowledge that people attending A&E are in physical and emotional pain. The second step is to manage people’s expectations of the service. The third step is to make sure that they understand the system they have entered into.