Assaults on A&E nurses have nearly doubled over the past six years, with incidents usually involving sufferers annoyed at ready so lengthy for care.
Nurses have been punched, spat at, pinned up towards a wall, had a gun pointed at them and been threatened with having acid thrown at them, in keeping with the Royal School of Nursing (RCN).
NHS figures present that the variety of incidents of violence towards nurses in A&E models in hospitals in England rose from 2,122 in 2019 to 4,054 in 2024 – a 91% enhance.
“Behind these stunning figures lies an unpleasant reality,” stated Prof Nicola Ranger, the final secretary of the RCN, which obtained the info utilizing freedom of knowledge legal guidelines.
“Devoted and hard-working nursing employees face rising violent assaults due to systemic failures which can be no fault of their very own. Each incident is unacceptable,” she stated.
Rachelle McCarthy, a cost nurse within the east Midlands, stated that in her A&E division “even sufferers you’d anticipate to be placid have gotten irate due to simply how lengthy they’ve to attend”.
As soon as she was punched “sq. within the face” by “a drunk, 6ft 2in bloke”, she stated.
In one other incident a affected person within the ready room of the A&E the place the senior sister Sarah Tappy works in east London punched her within the head, knocking her unconscious. “The violence is terrible. And it’s simply fixed. Nurses. Docs. Receptionists. None of us really feel secure,” she stated.
A senior A&E nurse in England’s south-west stated she had seen violence against staff in her wards many occasions, together with a affected person “pinning a nurse up towards a wall” and one other colleague being punched by a affected person “within the groin and abdomen”.
The variety of assaults on A&E employees at Southmead hospital in Bristol rose from 83 in 2019 to 152 final yr. They doubled at Manchester Royal Infirmary from 39 to 79 over the identical time interval, and elevated from 13 to 89 at Maidstone hospital in Kent, NHS figures given to the RCN confirmed.
Daniel Elkeles, the chief government of hospitals group NHS Suppliers, stated: “These findings are completely stunning.
“NHS employees want a secure and respectful setting to take care of sufferers, free from any risk of violence or intimidation, be they in hospital, psychological well being, group or ambulance settings.
“Delays for therapy are irritating for sufferers and employees. Each effort is being made to maintain these to a minimal.”
The union demanded rapid authorities motion to curb the “rising tide of violence”. It needs a discount within the lengthy waits for sufferers in A&E, an finish to overcrowded hospitals having to make use of “hall care” and an answer to the shortages of nurses which can be widespread throughout the NHS.
A separate RCN evaluation exhibits the variety of sufferers who needed to wait greater than 12 hours in A&E soared twentyfold between 2019 and 2014.
Rising numbers of hospitals have employed extra safety employees, issued scientific employees with stab vests and put in extra closed-circuit tv.
Rebecca Smith, the director of system and social partnership on the NHS Confederation, stated the close to doubling in assaults uncovered by the figures was “deeply worrying”.
“Nobody ought to must face violence at work – it’s completely unacceptable. These sorts of incidents not solely have a huge effect on employees well being and wellbeing but in addition retention of employees in addition to NHS providers and affected person expertise.”
The RCN despatched an freedom of knowledge request to the 129 NHS trusts in England which have a minimum of one emergency division. Of these 89 (69%) replied. Nevertheless, the true figures will likely be larger because the union solely requested for information referring to the most important A&E the belief runs.
Their figures present a relentless rise in incidents over the six years, from 2,122 in 2019 to 2,297 in 2020, then 2,851 in 2021, 3,120 in 2022, 3,405 in 2023 and eventually 4,054 in 2024.
NHS Defend issued annual figures for violence, harassment and abuse of NHS employees till it was disbanded in 2016.
The newest NHS staff survey, printed in March, discovered that one in seven employees (14.4%) had suffered bodily violence from sufferers, their family or different members of the general public within the earlier yr.
Duncan Burton, chief nursing officer for England, stated it was “completely unacceptable that NHS employees are dealing with acts of bodily violence from sufferers and the general public whereas at work”.
He added: “NHS employees do an unbelievable job day-after-day to take care of others – and so they have the precise to return to work with out concern of being harmed. We might encourage employees to report all incidents to their employer and for employers to tell the police the place acceptable in order that perpetrators could be dropped at justice.”
The well being secretary, Wes Streeting, stated: “I’m appalled by these findings. Nurses dedicate their lives to serving to others and should go about their jobs free from violence or intimidation. Anybody who violates this core precept will really feel the complete pressure of the legislation.”
