Almost 75% of A&E staff in UK face violence or aggression daily or weekly

Nearly three-quarters of A&E staff in the UK experience violence or aggression daily or weekly, according to a survey highlighting the "appalling" abuse of NHS workers. The Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) found that understaffed and overcrowded emergency departments are contributing to increased targeting of medics. In a survey of over 2,000 workers, 63% reported suffering discrimination, including racism, sexism, and homophobia, while 73% said violence or aggression of all kinds occurred daily or weekly.

Almost all (96%) respondents had encountered abuse from patients or the public. Dr Ian Higginson, the RCEM president, stated that no one should fear being attacked while working or lack confidence in their employers' support. Long waiting times and overcrowding have made abuse a "routine" part of working in the hospital frontline, according to emergency department workers.

Staff shortages and corridor care, where patients are treated in non-clinical spaces due to overcrowding, were also cited as main reasons for the abuse. One anonymous resident doctor described the daily verbal abuse, including racially charged remarks. A senior emergency doctor reported being physically assaulted by an aggressive patient.

Ministers have pledged to improve NHS waiting times before 2029, but professional bodies have called for faster action after missing several targets. Higginson urged the government to accelerate its efforts to reduce waiting times and overcrowding. Only 4% of those surveyed felt safe working in A&E, with 75% experiencing short-term stress and anxiety, 40% reporting burnout, and 28% long-term stress or anxiety.

Over 295,000 incidents of physical violence and aggression by patients against NHS staff were recorded in England between 2022 and 2025, a 13% increase from the previous year.