Hundreds of thousands of NHS staff have been attacked, harassed, bullied or subjected to racism, latest NHS figures show.
The 2025 health service staff survey found that one in seven had experienced violence from patients or members of the public, while more than a quarter reported harassment, bullying and abuse – the highest levels in three years.
Given that the NHS in England employs 1.5 million people, this would equate to around 217,000 experiencing violence and more than 380,000 reporting harassment and bullying in 2025 alone.
Figures show that sexual harassment has also reached record levels. Almost one in 10 NHS workers, a third of ambulance staff and more than one in 10 nurses and midwives said they had experienced unwanted sexual behavior in the last year.
But lack of information remains a problem, according to the survey. While three-quarters said they would report violent incidents, just half said they would report harassment or abuse.
The findings follow a recent Guardian investigation showing that NHS trusts revealed almost 300,000 incidents of physical violence and 50,000 incidents of sexual harm in the three years to April 2025. But, according to the data published, over the three years eight trusts reported fewer than 10 cases of violence, while 45 trusts recorded 20 or fewer incidents of sexual harm, of which 19 reported fewer than 10.
The staff survey also reveals the extent of racism and discrimination. One in five black and minority ethnic staff reported abuse, bullying or harassment by patients or the public, compared to just one in 20 white staff.
One in seven black and minority ethnic employees say they have faced similar behavior from colleagues, managers or team leaders, double the rate reported by their white colleagues.
Nearly one in 10 workers reported experiencing discrimination from patients or other members of the public at work, the highest number on record.
Royal College of Nursing general secretary Professor Nicola Ranger said the findings revealed once again “the torrent of violence, sexual assault, discrimination and abuse” that nurses and other NHS staff face while doing their jobs.
“Year on year, the figures reveal shameful and ever-increasing attacks on our predominantly female profession, with no signs of letting up, and declining confidence among staff that employers will do something about it. This is a national emergency for staff safety and should shock us all deeply.”
Sarah Woolnough, chief executive of The King’s Fund, said: “You cannot run a health service on the basis of hostility. Patients and the public may face frustratingly long waiting times for themselves or their loved ones, but that is not, and never will be, an excuse for discrimination.
“Just as the public has the right to free healthcare, NHS staff have the right to work free from fear and abuse.”
Danny Mortimer, NHS England’s chief people officer, said the figures were “deeply worrying” and vowed to do more to support NHS workers.
“The safety and wellbeing of staff is paramount and we want everyone who experiences any type of unwanted incident to feel safe enough to report it.”
