‘none Of Us Feel Safe’: Attacks On A&e Nurses Double In Six Years As Waits Rise

Attacks connected A&E nurses person almost doubled complete nan past six years, pinch incidents often involving patients disappointment astatine waiting truthful agelong for care.

Nurses person been punched, spat at, pinned up against a wall, had a weapon pointed astatine them and been threatened pinch having acerb thrown astatine them, according to nan Royal College of Nursing (RCN).

NHS figures show that nan number of incidents of unit against nurses successful A&E units successful hospitals successful England roseate from 2,122 successful 2019 to 4,054 successful 2024 – a 91% increase.

“Behind these shocking figures lies an disfigured truth,” said Prof Nicola Ranger, nan wide caput of nan RCN, which obtained nan information utilizing state of accusation laws.

“Dedicated and hard-working nursing unit look rising convulsive attacks because of systemic failures that are nary responsibility of their own. Every incident is unacceptable,” she said.

Rachelle McCarthy, a complaint caregiver successful nan eastbound Midlands, said that successful her A&E section “even patients you would expect to beryllium placid are becoming irate because of conscionable really agelong they person to wait”.

Once she was punched “square successful nan face” by “a drunk, 6ft 2in bloke”, she said.

In different incident a diligent successful nan waiting room of nan A&E wherever nan elder sister Sarah Tappy useful successful eastbound London punched her successful nan head, knocking her unconscious. “The unit is awful. And it’s conscionable constant. Nurses. Doctors. Receptionists. None of america consciousness safe,” she said.

A elder A&E caregiver successful England’s south-west said she had seen violence against unit in her wards galore times, including a diligent “pinning a caregiver up against a wall” and different workfellow being punched by a diligent “in nan groin and stomach”.

The number of attacks connected A&E unit astatine Southmead infirmary successful Bristol roseate from 83 successful 2019 to 152 past year. They doubled astatine Manchester Royal Infirmary from 39 to 79 complete nan aforesaid clip period, and accrued from 13 to 89 astatine Maidstone infirmary successful Kent, NHS figures fixed to nan RCN showed.

Daniel Elkeles, nan main executive of hospitals group NHS Providers, said: “These findings are perfectly shocking.

“NHS unit request a safe and respectful situation to look aft patients, free from immoderate threat of unit aliases intimidation, beryllium they successful hospital, intelligence health, organization aliases ambulance settings.

“Delays for curen are frustrating for patients and staff. Every effort is being made to support these to a minimum.”

The national demanded contiguous authorities action to curb nan “rising tide of violence”. It wants a simplification successful nan agelong waits for patients successful A&E, an extremity to overcrowded hospitals having to usage “corridor care” and a solution to nan shortages of nurses that are communal crossed nan NHS.

A abstracted RCN study shows nan number of patients who had to hold much than 12 hours successful A&E soared twentyfold betwixt 2019 and 2014.

Growing numbers of hospitals person hired much information staff, issued objective unit pinch stab vests and installed much closed-circuit television.

Rebecca Smith, nan head of strategy and societal business astatine nan NHS Confederation, said nan adjacent doubling successful attacks exposed by nan figures was “deeply worrying”.

“No 1 should person to look unit astatine activity – it is wholly unacceptable. These kinds of incidents not only person a immense effect connected unit wellness and wellbeing but besides retention of unit arsenic good arsenic NHS services and diligent experience.”

The RCN sent an state of accusation petition to nan 129 NHS trusts successful England that person astatine slightest 1 emergency department. Of those 89 (69%) replied. However, nan existent figures will beryllium higher arsenic nan national only asked for information relating to nan biggest A&E nan spot runs.

Their figures show a relentless emergence successful incidents complete nan six years, from 2,122 successful 2019 to 2,297 successful 2020, past 2,851 successful 2021, 3,120 successful 2022, 3,405 successful 2023 and yet 4,054 successful 2024.

NHS Protect issued yearly figures for violence, harassment and maltreatment of NHS unit until it was disbanded successful 2016.

The astir caller NHS unit survey, published successful March, recovered that 1 successful 7 workers (14.4%) had suffered beingness unit from patients, their relatives aliases different members of nan nationalist successful nan erstwhile year.

Duncan Burton, main nursing serviceman for England, said it was “totally unacceptable that NHS unit are facing acts of beingness unit from patients and nan nationalist while astatine work”.

He added: “NHS unit do an unthinkable occupation each time to attraction for others – and they person nan correct to travel to activity without fearfulness of being harmed. We would promote unit to study each incidents to their employer and for employers to pass nan constabulary wherever due truthful that perpetrators tin beryllium brought to justice.”

The wellness secretary, Wes Streeting, said: “I americium appalled by these findings. Nurses dedicate their lives to helping others and merit to spell astir their jobs free from unit aliases intimidation. Anyone who violates this halfway rule will consciousness nan afloat unit of nan law.”