Survey finds long waiting times and overcrowding have made abuse ‘routine’ part of working on hospital frontline
Nearly three-quarters of A&E staff experience violence or aggression daily or weekly, according to a survey highlighting the “appalling” abuse of NHS workers.
The Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) said understaffed and overcrowded emergency departments were contributing to increased targeting of medics.
In a survey of more than 2,000 workers in the UK, 63% said they had suffered discrimination including racism, sexism and homophobia, while 73% said violence or aggression of all kinds was a daily or weekly occurrence. Almost all (96%) said they had experienced abuse from patients or members of the public.
Dr Ian Higginson, the president of the RCEM, said: “No one should go to work fearing or, worse, expecting to be attacked, intimidated or abused. Nor should they lack confidence that their employers have their backs, or that the judicial system will kick in.
