Nurses are being punched, spat at and threatened with weapons by patients who are not prone to violence but are becoming angry after long waits in A&E.
Figures obtained by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) from 89 hospital trusts, out of a possible 129, show cases of physical violence against A&E staff have doubled – from 2,093 in 2019 to 4,054 in 2024.
One senior A&E nurse based in east London told the RCN she had been spat at by a patient and threatened with an acid attack.
She also said she had seen colleagues punched and kicked – and described how one had a gun pointed at them.
“Even patients you would expect to be placid are becoming irate because of just how long they have to wait,” Rachelle McCarthy, a senior charge nurse from the East Midlands, told the RCN.
“You can only imagine the behaviour of those who are already prone to violence,” she said.
She added she was punched “square in the face” by a “drunk, six foot two bloke”.
Sarah Tappy, a senior sister in an A&E in east London who was knocked unconscious after being punched in the head by a patient, said: “The violence is awful. And it’s just constant. Nurses, doctors, receptionists – none of us feels safe.”
Another nurse said: “It’s not going to help with our retention and recruitment if you think you’re going to be clobbered every shift.”
The RCN has called for action to protect NHS staff, which it said “face a rising tide of violence”.
“It leads to both physical and mental scarring, lengthy time off and sometimes staff never returning,” warned RCN general secretary and chief executive Professor Nicola Ranger.
She said the government’s plans to reform the NHS would “fail” if the issue was left unaddressed.
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Health Secretary Wes Streeting said he was “appalled” by the findings.
“Nurses dedicate their lives to helping others and deserve to go about their jobs free from violence or intimidation,” he said.
He said the government was committed to ending the violence by “shining a light on the extent to which corridor care plagues our NHS, as the first step to eradicating it”.
“We are strengthening vital support for victims, including security training and emotional support for staff affected by violence, so no NHS worker has to suffer in silence,” he added.
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The Liberal Democrats have called for A&E staff to be given access to a panic button, giving them a “direct line” to the police.
The party’s health spokesperson Helen Morgan said: “Violence against hospital staff is utterly abhorrent and those committing it should feel the full force of the law.”
