The Royal College of Nursing said there were 4,054 cases of physical violence against A&E staff recorded in 2024, up from 2,093 in 2019, after sending freedom of information (FOI) requests to NHS hospitals with accident and emergency departments.
Nurses are enduring “abhorrent” levels of violence in A&E departments, including being punched, spat at and even having a gun aimed at them. The nursing union has also highlighted that lengthy waits in A&E are fuelling anger among patients who are not typically violent.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has called for more to be done to safeguard NHS staff. Without measures to address long waiting times, corridor care and “chronic” staffing issues, the RCN warns that instances of violence will continue to escalate.
This comes after the RCN discovered increasing rates of violence towards staff following freedom of information (FOI) requests sent to NHS hospitals with accident and emergency departments.
Data from 89 hospital trusts, out of a possible 129, showed there were 4,054 recorded cases of physical violence against A&E staff in 2024, a significant increase from 2,093 in 2019, according to the RCN.
One senior A&E nurse based in east London shared with the RCN her experiences of seeing colleagues being punched and kicked, and recounted an incident where a colleague had a gun pointed at them. She herself had been spat at by a patient and threatened with an acid attack.
Rachelle McCarthy, a senior charge nurse from the East Midlands, told the RCN that “even patients you would expect to be placid are becoming irate because of just how long they have to wait”. “You can only imagine the behaviour of those who are already prone to violence,” she added.
Ms McCarthy also revealed to the union that she was punched “square in the face” by a “drunk, six foot two bloke”. Another nurse expressed: “It’s not going to help with our retention and recruitment if you think you’re going to be clobbered every shift.”
Sarah Tappy, a senior sister at an A&E in east London, was rendered unconscious after a patient struck her in the head. “The violence is awful,” she declared. “And it’s just constant. Nurses, doctors, receptionists – none of us feels safe.”
RCN general secretary and chief executive Professor Nicola Ranger commented: “Nursing staff not only go to work underpaid and undervalued but now face a rising tide of violence. It leads to both physical and mental scarring, lengthy time off and sometimes staff never returning.
“Measures to keep staff safe day-to-day are crucial, but the stark reality is that unless the Government does something about lengthy waits, corridor care and understaffed nursing teams, more nursing staff will become victims of this utterly abhorrent behaviour. Left unaddressed, this could see plans to reform the NHS fail completely.”
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting responded: “I am appalled by these findings. Nurses dedicate their lives to helping others and deserve to go about their jobs free from violence or intimidation.
“Anyone who violates this core principle will feel the full force of the law. I met with the Royal College of Nursing recently to reaffirm our commitment to standing with frontline workers, working together to stop violence against NHS staff and improving their working conditions.
“Just yesterday I announced a new graduate guarantee to get more nurses into our NHS, and I have also committed to shining a light on the extent to which corridor care plagues our NHS, as the first step to eradicating it. We are bolstering crucial support for victims, including security training and emotional support for staff affected by violence, so no NHS worker has to suffer in silence.”
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