A LABOUR AM is calling on health minister Jane Hutt to speed up action to protect NHS staff in Wales, as the Assembly prepares to debate the issue.

Torfaen AM Lynne Neagle (pictured) is backing the Argus campaign to establish a red and yellow card system protecting health workers from violence as they carry out their duties.

The scheme - which allows violent people to be banned from hospitals - is already available in England.

But the Assembly refused to consider it until a review of the issue had been carried out. Now the review's conclusions will be presented to a private meeting of the occupational health/health and safety sub group on October 2.

But Ms Neagle believes the review processes set up by the health minister lack the urgency being demanded by doctors, nurses and other health workers.

The low-profile committee meets regularly in the Assembly offices in Cardiff. Ms Neagle wrote to Ms Hutt back in July asking how long the various reviews and investigations in to violence in the NHS Wales would take to be turned in to action.

In her reply Ms Hutt confirmed that the red card scheme, supported by many health professions and the subject of an Argus campaign, was to be considered at a meeting in October.

"We are looking closely at the proposed red card system in England and will examine whether such a system could be employed in Wales to back up the work we are doing here.

"The scheme is to be discussed at the next meeting of the occupational health/health and safety sub group," she wrote.

The letter also mentions other initiatives - including better training of staff and an advisory service for victims of violence and threats - but contains no firm dates for introducing such schemes.

Ms Neagle said: "It's all very well to say we're looking at things, but it needs to done quickly.

She has said nothing about the timescale. It needs to be done as a matter of urgency and we need to known when some sort of system can be implemented to protect NHS staff."

She pledged to press the minister for answers on the issue. The soccer-style red card system has already been introduced in England, allowing hospitals to warn and then ban violent patients.

Despite its championing by Tony Blair, Labour AMs - and their colleagues in Plaid Cymru and the Liberal Democrats - have been reluctant to support the scheme.