OUH says the incidents reported by its own staff on the trust’s reporting system cover verbal abuse, physical assault, and racial and sexual harassment, and include incidents involving patients, relatives and visitors.
OUH said the increase in incidents reported from 2021 reflected a “significant change” in reporting, as well as the incidents themselves.
The number of incidents recorded by the trust were:
The trust said over this period it had “actively encouraged” its staff to report every incident of abuse.
It added much of this had gone unrecorded in the past, and where an incident amounted to a criminal offence, the trust worked with the police through Operation Cavell.
Yvonne Christley, chief nursing officer at OUH, said: “Operation Cavell strengthens what happens after an incident.
“Colleagues who report will be supported through the process rather than left to manage it on their own, and Thames Valley Police will review every report.
“Support is there whether or not someone chooses to involve the police, but support is not the answer on its own.
“The measure of Operation Cavell will be fewer incidents, not better recovery from them.”
She added: “Our staff should not have to be resilient about violence and abuse at work, and the responsibility sits with the people who choose to behave this way, not with the colleagues on the receiving end.
“I hope this gives people the confidence to come forward.”