PATIENTS could be banned from hospitals as new figures revealed almost a third of doctors and nurses are being bullied, harassed and abused.

Responses to the latest NHS staff survey show 29 per cent of workers at Southend Hospital said they had experienced bullying or abuse from patients, relatives or members of the public in with the figure even higher at 31 per cent in Basildon last year.

The figures come as the Government has announced new measures to better protect health service staff in England, calling for a “zero tolerance” approach.

About 1,760 employees responded to the survey at Southend with 27 per cent also claiming they had been verbally abused or harassed by fellow staff members - the same figure as Basildon where 2,230 employees responded.

A total of 28 per cent of workers from the Essex Partnership University Trust (EPUT), which provides mental health services in the region, said they had experienced harassment or bullying with 22 per cent claiming this had come from fellow staff members.

One in six respondents from Basildon and EPUT said they had experienced physical violence while this fell to one in seven at Southend.

The figures are higher than the national average of 15 per cent.

Yvonne Blücher, managing director of Southend Hospital, said: “We take a zero tolerance approach to abusive or violent behaviour from the public and we fully support the Home Office guidance on the formal warning and barring process, which we can escalate to the prosecution of any person who assaults or abuses staff.

“We take our responsibility to provide a safe and secure environment for patients, staff and visitors very seriously and support our staff by providing conflict resolution training and controlled access to clinical areas.”

Dawn Patience, associate director of nursing and quality at Basildon Hospital, said: “Abusive behaviour will not be tolerated by the trust.

“We are committed to ensuring the risk of injury and distress to staff is reduced as far as reasonably practicable and will support criminal proceedings against those who assault any of our staff.”