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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
David Batty and Anna Bawden

NHS staff face ‘national emergency’ as patient violence hits 285 incidents a day

Composite of a stethoscope and cracked glass on blue background

Nurses, doctors and paramedics are reporting tens of thousands of violent and sexual assaults by patients every year, amid warnings that the abuse of NHS staff has become a national crisis.

More than 295,000 incidents of physical violence and aggression by patients against staff were recorded by 212 NHS trusts in England between 2022 and 2025, freedom of information requests by the Guardian found.

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