Violence Prevention and Reduction (VPR) Standard: Do your NHS teams feel safer?

NHS healthcare staff during the mirror drill exercise, as part of a Breakaway Disengagement Training course.

It’s not about ticking boxes. It’s about protecting people.

From April 2025, the Violence Prevention and Reduction (VPR) Standard becomes a formal requirement for all NHS-funded services. The Standard sets out clear expectations around improving workplace safety, reducing aggression and embedding a culture of violence prevention. But this shift is not just about policy. It’s about the everyday experiences of NHS healthcare staff and how they are supported before, during and after incidents.

Rates of violence and aggression towards NHS staff remain high. Many organisations are now reviewing their approaches to conflict resolution training, de-escalation and support after incidents. The aim is to create safer environments across services. Not just to satisfy inspection criteria, but to protect the people who deliver care every day.

The big question: Do your teams feel safer?

As the Care Quality Commission (CQC) prepares to assess Trusts against the VPR Standard, senior leaders are asking the right questions:

• Do staff feel confident responding to aggressive or escalating behaviour?
• Is our current conflict resolution training up to date and relevant to NHS roles?
• Do we offer support after violent or traumatic incidents?
• Are lone working risks understood and well managed?
• Are colleagues being asked, listened to and supported?

These aren’t compliance questions. They are cultural ones. The answers reveal how seriously an organisation takes its responsibility for staff wellbeing and workplace safety.

Moving beyond policy into practice

To meet the VPR Standard effectively, Trusts need more than a training log and a reporting system. They need consistent messaging, confident teams and a culture that supports safety at every level.

This means reviewing provision such as:

• Conflict resolution training for NHS staff in clinical and non-clinical roles.
• De-escalation and communication skills for frontline services.
• Trauma-informed approaches that support recovery after incidents.
• Lone worker protection and support in community settings.
• Mechanisms that align safety work with the NHS People Promise.

When staff are equipped to respond with skill and supported when things go wrong, they are more likely to stay, more able to care and more confident in their work.

NHS learners during IKON Conflict Resolution Training at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, London.

Building trust starts with listening

Effective violence prevention starts with a conversation. Staff should be involved in shaping how safety is supported. That means reviewing what training feels like in practice, how support is accessed and what the gaps still look like on the ground.

Training should:

• Reflect the realities NHS staff face, not generic scenarios.
• Be accessible to part-time, bank and shift-working staff.
• Encourage reflection, resilience and connection between teams.
• Support better reporting, better conversations and better decisions during incidents of challenging behaviour.

Final thought

The VPR Standard offers a strong foundation. But safer workplaces are built through culture, not just compliance. If we want to reduce violence in the NHS, we need to do more than implement. We need to involve.

When we ask better questions and involve staff from the start, we create real change. Not just safer systems, but stronger teams.

Resources to support implementation

For those developing their VPR action plan or beginning internal reviews, here are some starting points:

• NHS VPR Standard Overview
• Official VPR Guidance Notes (PDF)
• Self-Assessment Tool (Word Doc)
• Explore IKON Training courses for NHS teams.

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