US EditionNurses punched, spat at and threatened with weapons over A&E wait times
ENGLAND, AUG 12 – Physical assaults on nurses in England's A&E departments rose to 4,054 cases in 2024, linked to long waits and understaffing, the Royal College of Nursing reported.
- The Royal College of Nursing reported that FOI requests to 89 hospital trusts revealed 4,054 assaults on A&E staff in 2024, up from 2,093 in 2019, with nurses facing `abhorrent` violence.
- Recently, the RCN highlighted that waits of more than 12 hours in A&E increased by more than 20 times, worsening violence levels, and warned long waits, corridor care and 'chronic' staffing problems will continue to fuel it.
- In a separate incident, senior charge nurse Rachelle McCarthy was punched `square in the face` by a `drunk, six foot two bloke`.
- Following the report, Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said, `I am appalled by these findings` and pledged to improve security training and emotional support for staff.
- The nursing union added calls for a panic button in every A&E to connect directly to police and warned Westminster's 10-Year Health Plan will `fail completely` if violence isn't urgently addressed.
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Frontline nurses report record assault levels
Physical assaults against nurses working in accident and emergency (A&E) departments in England have nearly doubled in six years, according to new NHS data. Figures show 4,054 reported attacks on A&E nurses in 2024, up from 2,122 in 2019, a rise of 91%. The incidents, recorded under freedom of information requests, include staff being punched, spat at, pinned against walls… Source
·Spain
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Nurses punched, spat at and even threatened with guns while working in A&E
The Royal College of Nursing said more must be done to protect NHS staff from violence in A&E departments, as well as tackling long waits and other problems facing the health service
·Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
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Total News Sources14
Leaning Left3Leaning Right1Center4Last UpdatedBias Distribution50% Center
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources are Center
50% Center
L 38%
C 50%
13%
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