Nurses face 'abhorrent' violence levels in A&E

NURSES are facing “abhorrent” levels of violence in hospital accident and emergency departments

- ELLA PICKOVER

Meanwhile, long waits in A&E are also leading to anger among patients who are not prone to violence, a nursing union has said.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) said more must be done to protect NHS staff.

Without action to tackle long waits, corridor care and “chronic” staffing problems, then rates of violence will continue to rise, the RCN warned.

It comes after it found rising rates of violence towards staff, after sending freedom of information (FOI) requests to NHS hospitals with A&E departments.

Figures from 89 hospital trusts, out of a possible 129, revealed there were 4,054 cases of physical violence against A&E staff recorded in 2024, up from 2,093 in 2019, the RCN said.