The Department of Health has launched guidance on tackling violence in mental health, ambulance, community and primary care settings, 'where staff are most at risk of attack'. Launching the guidance, health minister John Denham said he was 'determined'to turn the NHS into a 'zero tolerance zone'for violence. The guidance lists case studies and examples of good practice by several trusts. Staff working away from a hospital base will carry mobile phones and pages in order to get help quickly in an emergency, and the guidance promises improved training. The zero tolerance campaign, launched last year, aims to reduce the number of violent incidents against staff by 20 per cent next year and 30 per cent by 2003.

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