A recent survey has uncovered a deeply concerning rise in attacks on NHS staff, reaching a three-year high, with escalating incidents of violence, harassment, and discrimination reported by healthcare workers across England.
Escalating Violence and Abuse Against NHS Staff
The poll, which involved 766,000 NHS staff in England, found that approximately 14.47% experienced at least one violent incident from patients or the public in the past year. This marks the highest rate since 2022, highlighting a troubling trend in workplace safety.
More than a quarter of staff reported harassment, bullying, or abuse during the same period, showing a slight increase from 2024. Additionally, nearly one in 10 workers faced unwanted sexual behaviour from patients, the highest figure recorded in three years of surveying this issue.
Discrimination and Workplace Concerns
Discrimination from patients or the public was reported by nearly one in 10 staff, a slight rise from last year and the highest on record. While discrimination from managers or colleagues decreased slightly to nearly 9%, the overall environment remains challenging.
Danny Mortimer, director general (people) for NHS England, commented on the findings, stating, "These figures paint a deeply worrying picture of the abuse our hardworking NHS staff face. Staff safety and well-being is paramount, and we want everyone experiencing any kind of unwanted incident to feel confident enough to report it."
Declining Confidence in Safety and Care Standards
The survey further revealed a decline in staff confidence regarding workplace safety and care quality. Only 71.1% of staff feel secure raising concerns about unsafe clinical practice, the lowest proportion in five years.
Correspondingly, just over half, about 55%, expressed confidence that their organisation would address their concerns, also a five-year low. Fewer than half of staff, 46.51%, reported being able to manage all conflicting work demands, and only 32.8% believed their organisation had sufficient staffing for proper job performance.
Impact on Patient Care Perceptions
In a striking revelation, less than two-thirds of staff, 62.84%, said they would be happy with the standard of care if a friend or relative were a patient. This underscores broader concerns about the NHS's ability to maintain high-quality care amidst these challenges.
Mortimer added, "But while that behaviour is completely unacceptable, we must look at what more we can do to support the people who keep our services running." The findings call for urgent action to improve staff safety, well-being, and overall healthcare standards in the NHS.
