HOSPITAL employees in Winchester remain worried about attacks on them by patients and their families.

Other concerns include job-related accidents, long working hours and a lack of leadership from senior managers.

The issues were raised in a nationwide survey, the results of which came before the Winchester and Eastleigh Healthcare NHS Trust.

The data compared the responses given by about 1,500 employees with the national average.

The trust was in the top 20 per cent in terms of providing staff with regular performance reviews, plus health and safety training.

The low number of employees who said they witnessed serious mistakes or near misses was also praised.

However, the survey added that the trust was in the worst 20 per cent in terms of attacks on employees by patients and relatives. About 15 per cent of staff said they had been targeted within the past year.

The trust's human resources director, Vicki Fletcher, told the meeting that she was surprised by the figures. She said staff were encouraged to report attacks, but they did not always do so.

She added: "They rarely report it on Accident and Emergency. They often accept it as part of the job."

The survey also placed the trust in the worst 20 per cent in terms of staff working too long and suffering job-related injuries.

About 34 per cent of nursing staff, and a quarter of employees across all departments said they had sustained injuries through their work within the past year.

During the same period, 35 per cent of staff said they suffered stress, and 52 per cent stated that they were overworked.

The survey added: "The score for staff's perceptions in relation to quality of senior management leadership has significantly deteriorated."

The survey data is being sent to the Department of Health and the Healthcare Commission, which determines the annual star rating for NHS trusts.