Karin Smyth © House of Commons New standards aimed at protecting staff safety in NHS trusts are hoped to become a ‘professional reality’ for nurses in all settings, including GP practices, a health minister has said. Karin Smyth told Nursing in Practice it was vital that nurses felt valued and supported in the workplace in order to deliver high-quality patient care. And she stressed she wanted all nurses to have ‘protections’ in place to support them.