Assaults on NHS staff in England have increase by a fifth in just three years, with medics at one trust suffering more than 8,000 incidents of assault and threats, data has shown.
Data obtained through FOI requests to every NHS trust in England showed violence and threats faced by staff is on the increase, up 20 percent in 2024 compared to 2022 levels – a jump of more than 15,000 incidents.
It comes after an Afghan man was arrested after launching a crowbar attack and injuring six people at Newton Community Hospital in Newton-Le-Willows, Merseyside because he was allegedly refused an appointment.
Of all the trusts which responded, 88 reported an increase in recorded assaults against staff compared to 2022, while 27 saw a decrease and two saw negligible change.
In March, NHS England said that one in seven NHS staff had experienced physical violence from patients, relatives and other members of the public in 2024.
Some 14.4 percent of employees surveyed reported violence, compared to 13.9 percent the year before.
One in 12 employees experienced unwanted sexual behaviour, including offensive comments, touching and assault.
The Mail found that the highest levels of violence or threats against staff tended to occur at trusts with a specialism for mental health services, or those covering multiple large hospitals.
The trust with the highest number of incidents was Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust which recorded 8,177 incidents of assault on its employees in 2024, representing a two percent rise. Of these, 667 were classed as sexual assault.
Data obtained through FOI requests to every NHS trust in England showed violence and threats faced by staff is on the increase, up 18 percent in 2024 compared to 2022 levels (stock image)
Cumbria, Northumberland Tyne & Wear NHS Foundation Trust came in second at 6,152 – a 13 percent rise on the figure for 2022.
Both trusts said in a statement that the majority of incidents recorded are classed as being of ‘low’ or ‘no’ harm.
A Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust spokesman said: ‘We regard all assaults against our staff as completely unacceptable and prioritise and actively monitor incident reporting, including identifying themes and trends across all teams.
‘Our Trust fosters a genuine safety culture, where all are encouraged to confidently report incidents, even if those are recorded as low or even no harm. We believe there is always learning from incidents. As a Trust we consistently report approximately 6,500 incidents per month, with around 80 percent of these incidents being categorised as no harm or low harm.’
A Cumbria, Northumberland Tyne & Wear NHS Foundation Trust spokesperson added: ‘In comparison to other organisations nationally, CNTW is one of the largest Mental Health, Learning Disability and Specialist Service NHS Trusts in England, with over 9,000 staff.
‘We operate a number of regional and national services, so direct comparison with other organisations should be taken in that context.’
Other trusts reported huge individual increases in recorded assaults, including Medway NHS Foundation Trust which recorded 615 incidents in 2022 and 1,857 in 2024. The Trust pointed to ‘better reporting measures’ for staff as one of the reasons for the increase.
Similarly the East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust recorded just 39 incidents in 2022, and 207 in 2024 – an increase of 430 percent.
Theresa Murphy, Chief Nurse at the trust said: ‘The safety and security of our staff is of vital importance, and we do not tolerate any violence or aggression toward our staff.
‘Though an increase in recorded incidents can also reflect staff confidence and improvements in reporting concerns, any increase is alarming, and we are working to strengthen prevention measures, enhance the security of our staff and ensure that anyone who is violent or aggressive toward them face appropriate consequences.’
Most trusts included threats of violence as well as sexual assault and racial harassment in the figures.
The increase in violence against NHS staff has resulted in several truly shocking cases, including a patient in January who attempted to murder a nurse with a pair of scissors.
In January Romon Haque, 38, was taken to the Royal Oldham Hospital (pictured) for a mental health assessment where he attempted to murder a nurse
In June, 26-year-old Andrew Phillips was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison after violently attacking two nurses and pulling life-saving equipment from a baby receiving critical care
Romon Haque, 38, was taken to the Royal Oldham Hospital for a mental health assessment, before staff established he was suffering from alcohol and drug withdrawal.
On the night of January 11, Haque had managed to obtain a pair of scissors which he concealed in his pocket.
He asked nurse Achamma Cherian, who was giving out medicine on the ward, for methadone, and she told him she was attending to another patient but would get it for him ‘soon’, a Manchester court heard.
But impatient Haque refused to wait and stabbed her in the neck from behind while she was caring for the patient.
As she turned around she also sustained wounds to her forehead, hand and wrist as she attempted to defend herself. She later needed surgery after suffering ‘life-altering’ injuries.
Haque denied but was convicted of attempted murder at trial in July and will be sentenced on January 20.
In June, 26-year-old Andrew Phillips was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison after violently attacking two nurses and pulling life-saving equipment from a baby receiving critical care.
Phillips was being treated at the Blackpool Victoria Hospital when he barged into the baby’s cubicle, threw a chair and fell onto their bed, yanking out the infant’s IV and oxygen tube.
When nurses and a paramedic rushed to intervene, Phillips attacked them too, leaving one nurse with a fractured arm and wrist and a second with an injured ankle.
Fortunately the baby was not harmed during the incident.
Andrew Burrows, 26, was sentenced to three-and-a-half years behind bars in October for several offences including attacks on NHS staff
Two criminals, Andrew Phillips and Andrew Barrows, have recently been sentenced to years in prison for attacking staff at Blackpool Victoria Hospital (pictured)
And Andrew Burrows, 26, was sentenced to three-and-a-half years behind bars in October for several offences including attacks on NHS staff.
Burrows was being treated at Blackpool Victoria Hospital when he became aggressive after a nurse tried to take away pills he had emptied onto his bed.
He hit the nurse in the face and punched a security guard, leaving him with injuries to his eye socket and nose.
An increase in violent assaults such as these could also be costing the NHS millions of pounds.
As well as treating the injuries of affected staff and the loss to staffing numbers while victims take time off to recover, more serious incidents can also result in a hefty settlement bill.
Analysis this year by Legal Expert revealed the NHS paid out £20.7 million to staff assaulted in the course of their work between 2019 and 2023.
RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive, Professor Nicola Ranger, said: ‘Behind these shocking statistics are dedicated nursing staff who just want to go to work and deliver the best care for patients, but instead face the prospect of being violently assaulted.
‘This leads to both physical and mental scarring that can have a real and lasting impact on nursing staff and on the workforce as a whole.
‘This data shows violence isn’t limited to A&E and is very much a problem across all health and care settings. Every incident is unacceptable and every employer has a legal duty to keep their staff safe, provide clear ways to report incidents and take decisive measures against perpetrators.
‘To truly solve the issue of violence, we also need ministers to acknowledge some of the underlying causes. Our own research shows that when waits in A&E increase, so do incidents of physical violence against staff.
Easing pressures on hospitals, tackling lengthy waits, ensuring people get care in the right place, rather than in a corridor, and improving staffing levels are key to reducing these incidents.’
An NHS England spokesperson said: ‘It is totally unacceptable that NHS staff who come to work each day motivated to deliver the best care they can for patients are facing physical violence, and we urge anyone affected by this to report incidents to their employer and the police.
‘The NHS will not tolerate violence against our staff and will continue to take firm action to protect our workforce – including the option to ban patients from a GP practice following any incident where a staff member has feared for their safety.’
