CCTV shows shocking hospital assaults where staff are forced to defend themselves

CCTV shows an officer punched in the face before brawling with a patient behind a hospital curtain in a shocking example of the spate of assaults on Queensland's health and emergency service workers.

Seven News has obtained exclusive footage of the men and women who are targeting workers on the front line across Queensland.

The attacks have become so common the majority of cases are going unreported.

From January until March this year there were 641 assaults in major public hospitals across Brisbane, Logan, the Gold Coast, Ipswich and the Moreton Bay region.

Of those, 418 were physical assaults and 223 were verbal attacks.

Some of the most serious attacks are targeted toward wardsmen, security staff, admin staff, nurses, doctors, and even cleaners.

In one clip, a mother and her baby walk past a glass door as a man smashes a metal object on the door.

Moments later he is tackled by security officers.

Another video shows a security guard getting punched in the face by a woman grasping a hospital blanket.

• Gold Coast paramedic punched 60 times by patient turned attacker

• Ambulance officer punched in the face by patient in Newcastle

The revelations of violence comes on the back of a public outcry after a patient punched a Gold Coast paramedic 60 times.

Brad Johnson was treating a drug-affected man in the back of an ambulance on the way to hospital in at Upper Coomera during the Christmas holidays.

The paramedic was helpless, trapped in the back of the ambulance and the patient turned attacker struck him 60 times.

He claims at one stage the patient told him, "I'm going to kill you.”

The Queensland government is helping to raise awareness and Health Minister Cameron Dick says paramedics are now given extra training to deal with these violent situations.

“Certainly with our paramedics we've rolled out training for them to be aware in situations of risk,” Mr Dick says.

Critical Care Executive Director Dr Colin Meyers says the attacks are increasing and they are now looking for alternative ways to keep track of them.

“We are seeing an increasing levels of violence from our patients and from our patients families as well,” Dr Meyers told 7 News.

"Not only is it a threat to staff, but it's also a threat to other patients and it distracts us from taking care of sick people," he said.