NHS Staff Face Record Attacks, Harassment, Racism

0:00On March 13, new figures from the 2025 NHS staff survey show hundreds of thousands of workers facing attacks, harassment, bullying, or racism, one in seven debt with violence from patients or the public. More than one quarter reported harassment, bullying, or abuse, the worst in three years. Sexual harassment hit record highs too, with nearly one in ten staff affected overall. One third of ambulance workers and over one in ten nurses and midwives. Under reporting remains a major issue, while three quarters of staff say they would report violence, only about half would flag harassment or abuse. This comes after data revealed nearly 300,000 physical violence incidents and 50,000 cases of sexual harm across NHS trusts. The three years up to April 2025, racism and discrimination stand out sharply. One in five black and minority ethnic staff face abuse, bullying, or harassment from patients or the public, compared to just one in twenty white.

1:03Staff, from colleagues or managers, one in seven black and minority ethnic workers reported it, double the rate for white colleagues. Nearly one in ten workers overall experience discrimination from patients or others at work, another record. Experts from nursing groups in health think tanks call these trends deeply troubling, stressing that long waits for care do not justify hostility. Towards staff, NHS leaders promise stronger support to boost safety and reporting confidence, underscoring that protecting those who care for us must come first.