NHS Staff Attacks: Ministers Must Lead Protection Efforts
- Royal College of Nursing general secretary, Professor Nicola Ranger, is right to call the rising violence against NHS staff in England an emergency.
- The UK's diverse health workforce is highly exposed to rising anti-migrant sentiment.
- But action, not just words, is needed to reverse this disturbing pattern of aggression against frontline workers - a pattern also affecting teachers and others.
Royal College of Nursing general secretary, Professor Nicola Ranger, is right to call the rising violence against NHS staff in England an emergency. Freedom of details requests by the Guardian revealed a sharp increase in reported attacks in hospitals,averaging 285 incidents each day in 2024-25. Some details our reporters uncovered were horrifying. One A&E nurse reported seeing weapons brandished monthly, and described two instances of male patients deliberately ejaculating on nurses awaiting treatment.A now-retired consultant was violently assaulted twice within weeks.
The increase in racist incidents is also deeply concerning. The UK’s diverse health workforce is highly exposed to rising anti-migrant sentiment. In November, Health Secretary Wes Streeting expressed shock at the impact of resurgent “1970s-,1980s-style racism” on the NHS.
But action, not just words, is needed to reverse this disturbing pattern of aggression against frontline workers – a pattern also affecting teachers and others. Existing employer duties to prevent sexual harassment, including by their own staff, are being strengthened in the Employment Rights Act. However, tackling abuse and violence in healthcare is challenging. Managers face tough choices about how to handle peopel who threaten or insult. These incidents harm both individuals and institutions. Departments suffer when victims require recovery time, or when wards close to ensure a safe environment for violent patients.