Overview

• FOI requests to 129 NHS trusts yielded responses from 89, revealing 4,054 recorded physical assaults on A&E staff in 2024—almost double the 2,093 reported in 2019.
• Assaults included punches, spitting, acid threats, being pinned to walls and unholstered firearms, with many nurses suffering injuries, anxiety or PTSD.
• The RCN links the surge in violence to a more than twentyfold jump in 12-hour A&E waits, corridor care and chronic understaffing that fuel patient frustration.
• Health Secretary Wes Streeting condemned the levels of violence as “appalling” and announced measures such as security training, victim support and tougher legal action.
• Nursing leaders are calling for mandatory national reporting, on-site security upgrades and accelerated staffing and capacity reforms to protect frontline workers.