Nearly 1 in 7 NHS staff (14.47%) were physically attacked by a patient or a member of the public last year, the highest rate recorded in three years, according to the latest NHS Staff Survey.
The findings, released today and based on responses from over 766,000 NHS workers in England, paint a deeply troubling picture of rising violence, discrimination and inappropriate behaviour directed at healthcare staff.
The survey reveals that a record percentage of NHS staff reported being subjected to unwanted sexual behaviour from patients or the public, with the figure rising sharply to 31% among ambulance staff – almost one in three. These experiences ranged from sexually inappropriate comments to physical assault, adding to the growing concerns about staff safety across frontline services.
Nearly 1 in 10 staff (9.26%) said they experienced discrimination from patients or the public, the highest level since records began. Ambulance, emergency and mental health staff were among the most affected, reflecting long‑standing pressures in patient‑facing roles, which other analyses also link to higher exposure to aggression and abuse.
Although the survey presents concerning trends, it also highlights staff commitment: 87.78% of respondents said they believe their work makes a positive difference to patients’ lives.
However, the percentage of staff who would recommend their organisation as a place to work dropped to 58.05%, continuing a downward trend from 60.79% in 2024.
NHS England’s Director General (People), Danny Mortimer, said:
“These figures paint a deeply worrying picture of the abuse our hardworking NHS staff face.
“Staff safety and wellbeing is paramount, and we want everyone experiencing any kind of unwanted incident to feel confident enough to report it.
“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.
“We know about the everyday pressures staff face – such as not being able to get decent food on a night shift – and we haven’t moved fast enough to fix them.
“Staff have worked so hard to improve NHS performance and deliver care over winter as shown in the latest performance figures.
“These survey results show it is now for the NHS to deliver improvements for staff because there is so much more to do to make the NHS a better place to work.”
The survey results echo other workforce challenges highlighted in parallel reports, including high levels of stress, burnout, and longstanding concerns about staffing levels and workplace culture.
As the NHS continues to recover from winter pressures and long-term demand, the findings underline the urgent need for stronger protections, better reporting mechanisms and sustained investment in staff wellbeing.
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