Hundreds of thousands of NHS staff in England attacked and harassed, survey shows

Hundreds of thousands of NHS staff have been attacked, harassed, bullied, or subject to racism, latest NHS figures show.

The health service’s 2025 staff survey found that one in seven had experienced violence from patients or 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 about 217,000 experiencing violence and more than 380,000 reporting harassment and bullying in 2025 alone.

Sexual harassment has also reached record levels, the figures show. Nearly 1 in 10 NHS workers, a third of ambulance staff and more than one in 10 nurses and midwives said they had experienced unwanted sexual behaviour in the past year.

But underreporting is still a problem, the survey found. While three-quarters said they would report violent incidents, barely half said they would report harassment or abuse.

The staff survey also unveils the extent of racism and discrimination. One in five Black and minority ethnic staff reported abuse, bullying or harassment from patients or the public, compared with just 1 in 20 white staff.

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Source: The Guardian, 13 March 2026

Further reading on the hub:

• Patient Safety Learning’s response to the NHS Staff Survey Results 2025