Nurses in Beds could be leaving the profession due to increased levels of violence
There were over 4000 cases of physical violence against A&E staff recorded in 2024
We're hearing that nurses in Bedfordshire are facing more violence whilst working in A&E.
It's as The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) are calling for more to be done to protect NHS staff.
There is a heightened tension in these departments
Without action to tackle long waits, corridor care and "chronic" staffing problems, then rates of violence will continue to rise, the RCN warned.
They found rising rates of violence towards staff with figures from 89 hospital trusts, out of a possible 129, showing there were 4,054 cases of physical violence against A&E staff recorded in 2024, up from 2,093 in 2019, the RCN said.
Some of the things nurses are being victim to include being punched, spat at and even having a gun pointed at one of them.
It's really difficult to recover from an incident
Tony Durcan, from the RCN Eastern Region, said:
"There are more incidents of violence, both physical and verbal, that are happening throughout A&E departments."
"There is a heightened tension in these departments which therefore results in opposition against the very people who are trying their best to care for people in very difficult circumstances."
"We ask the government that they need to come up with a strategy and a solution to stop corridor care, and more than anything we need to recruit more nurses because the more nurses you've got, the less pressure will be put on them."
"It's really difficult to recover from an incident, so we also need to have supportive measures."
The more nurses you've got, the less pressure will be put on them
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said:
“I am appalled by these findings. Nurses dedicate their lives to helping others and deserve to go about their jobs free from violence or intimidation."
“Anyone who violates this core principle will feel the full force of the law. I met with the Royal College of Nursing recently to reaffirm our commitment to standing with frontline workers, working together to stop violence against NHS staff, and improving their working conditions."
“Just yesterday I announced a new graduate guarantee to get more nurses into our NHS, and I have also committed to shining a light on the extent to which corridor care plagues our NHS, as the first step to eradicating it. We are strengthening vital support for victims, including security training and emotional support for staff affected by violence, so no NHS worker has to suffer in silence.”