THEY hold the safety of our NHS workers in their hands - but today the Argus can reveal our National Assembly leaders can't make up their minds over whether to introduce a 'red card' scheme to protect doctors and nurses.

The red card system al-ready exists in England, where hospital staff are safeguarded against violent patients.

The Assembly refuses to introduce more staff safety measures to Wales until a review of all the issues is completed in September.

Our survey of AMs' personal opinions today reveals a mixed bag of views - with most Labour AMs refusing to stray from the party line.

A number of AMs praise the Argus for raising the issue of violence towards NHS staff. Not so many have been keen to back our stance outright.

There is unanimous acknowledgement among the AMs who have responded that something needs to be done to tackle the rising tide of violence towards NHS staff.

There are differing views as to whether banning violent patients is the answer - but many safeguards are built into the system to try to ensure the vulnerable are not penalised.

The vulnerable are the mentally ill and patients whose illness or the side effects of whose treatment, may cause them to react violently. Outside the Assembly, support for the Argus campaign for a deterrent red card scheme, with a formal warning or yellow card as a first step, comes from the Royal College of Nursing in Wales, and staff unions such as Unison, and the GMB.

Nick Jenkins, clinical director of A and E services in Gwent, also backs a red card scheme, subject to there being built-in safeguards for patients and support for the staff who implement it.

In Gwent alone last year, 432 incidents of abuse were reported by staff, the majority coming from those working in accident and emergency departments.