Hundreds of thousands of NHS staff in England attacked and harassed, survey shows

Health service’s 2025 staff survey found that one in seven had experienced violence from patients or the public

Hundreds of thousands of NHS staff have been attacked, harassed, bullied, or subject to racism, latest NHS figures show.

The health service’s 2025 staff survey found that one in seven had experienced violence from patients or the public, while more than a quarter reported harassment, bullying and abuse, the highest levels in three years.

Given that the NHS in England employs 1.5 million people, this would equate to about 217,000 experiencing violence and more than 380,000 reporting harassment and bullying in 2025 alone.

Sexual harassment has also reached record levels, the figures show. Nearly one in 10 NHS workers, a third of ambulance staff and more than one in 10 nurses and midwives said they had experienced unwanted sexual behaviour in the past year.

But underreporting is still a problem, the survey found. While three-quarters said they would report violent incidents, barely half said they would report harassment or abuse.

The findings follow a recent Guardian investigation showing that NHS trusts disclosed nearly 300,000 incidents of physical violence and 50,000 of sexual harm in the three years to April 2025. But, according to the data released, over the three years eight trusts reported fewer than 10 cases of violence, while 45 trusts recorded 20 or fewer sexual harm incidents, of which 19 reported fewer than 10.

The staff survey also unveils the extent of racism and discrimination. One in five Black and minority ethnic staff reported abuse, bullying or harassment from patients or the public, compared with just one in 20 white staff.

One in 7 Black and minority ethnic staff say they have faced similar behaviour from colleagues, managers or team leaders, double the rate reported by their white colleagues.

Nearly one in 10 workers reported experiencing discrimination from patients or other members of the public while at work, the highest figure on record.

The Royal College of Nursing general secretary, Prof Nicola Ranger, said the findings once again revealed “the torrent of violence, sexual assaults, discrimination and abuse” faced by nursing and other NHS staff while doing their jobs.

“Year after year, the figures reveal disgraceful and steadily rising attacks against our predominantly female profession, with no sign of letting up, and falling confidence among staff that employers will do anything about it. This is a national emergency for staff safety and it should profoundly shock us all.”

Sarah Woolnough, chief executive at The King’s Fund, said: “You can’t run a health service on hostility. Patients and the public may face frustratingly long waiting times for themselves or the ones they love, but that is not – and never will be – an excuse for discrimination.

“Just as the public have a right to free healthcare, NHS staff have the right to work without fear and abuse.”

Danny Mortimer, director general for people at NHS England, said the figures were “deeply worrying” and promised to do more to support NHS workers.

“Staff safety and wellbeing is paramount, and we want everyone experiencing any kind of unwanted incident to feel confident enough to report it.”