Almost 1 in 7 NHS staff (14.47%) were physically attacked by a patient or the public last year – the highest rate for three years, according to the latest NHS staff survey.
The shocking statistics also found a record percentage of staff say they were subjected to unwanted sexual behaviour by the same group – rising steeply to almost 1 in 3 ambulance staff (31%).
More than 766,000 NHS workers in England responded to the survey, providing vital data for employers and stakeholders about the staff experience. It also found nearly 1 in 10 staff (9.26%) said they were subjected to discrimination from the patient and the public – the highest on record. An overwhelming 87.78% of respondents to the staff survey felt their job made a difference to patients. However, the number of staff who would recommend their workplace to others fell slightly to 58.05%, from 60.79% in 2024.
Danny Mortimer, Director General (People) for NHS England, 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 highlight other ongoing challenges:
Health and wellbeing scores are unchanged, but some indicators have deteriorated:
- Positive employer action on wellbeing fell from 57.5 per cent to 54.8 per cent.
Stress and burnout continue to be significant issues:
- Staff reporting work‑related stress increased from 41.65 per cent to 42.3 per cent.
- Nearly one in three describe themselves as burnt out.
Flexible working scores remain broadly static:
- 57 per cent are satisfied with flexible working opportunities.
Bullying and harassment remain at high levels, though reporting rates have improved.
The full staff survey is available to access here – Working together to improve NHS staff experiences.