The NHS staff survey shows that the proportion of NHS staff who have experienced violence at work has risen since last year. 

A significant proportion – one in seven NHS staff – experienced physical violence from patients, their relatives or other members of the public in 2024, according to the latest annual NHS staff survey

That figure is up on the previous year, though lower than the record levels seen between 2020 and 2022 during and following the pandemic.

“It’s totally unacceptable that NHS staff are facing physical violence, sexual assault and discrimination from patients and the public while at work – and I’d urge anyone affected to report incidents to their employer and the police,” said Navina Evans, chief workforce, training and education officer for NHS England. 

“We know that the most important way to stamp out incidents of unacceptable behaviour is to give people the confidence to report it, and it is important that the voice of every member of NHS staff is heard through these surveys and acted upon,” she continued. 

Rise in discrimination

Staff experiencing discrimination at work reached its highest level in five years (9.25%), with more than half (54.09%) saying the discrimination they received from patients and the public was based on their ethnic background.

“Racism must be unacceptable in our health care system, and employers and government must take a strong stance on stamping this out,” said Patricia Marquis, executive director of the Royal College of Nursing England. 

One in 12 (8.82%) NHS workers experienced unwanted sexual behaviour – including offensive comments, touching and assault. The proportion of staff affected remains similar to the level reported in 2023 (8.79%) when the question was first asked.

The NHS launched a new national sexual misconduct policy framework in October to ensure NHS trusts had robust policies in place to allow NHS staff to report incidents of sexual misconduct anonymously.

Every integrated care board and NHS trust in England has signed up to the NHS sexual safety charter, which commits them to a zero-tolerance approach to letting unwanted behaviours go unaddressed within the workplace.

There were 744,358 respondents to the 2024 NHS staff survey. This is the highest level ever, NHS England said.