How common is violence against NHS staff in England and what is being done to stop it?

A Guardian investigation into violence and sexual harm by patients against NHS staff has revealed tens of thousands of alleged incidents reported over the past three years. Here is what we know from the findings.The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) defines work-related violence as “any incident in which a person is abused, threatened or assaulted in circumstances relating to their work”. Under the Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act from 2018 anyone who attacks an emergency worker could face a maximum two-year prison sentence. An assault may include pushing, shoving or spitting, as well as fear of an attack

Circumcision classed as possible child abuse in draft CPS document

Circumcision is to be classed as a potential form of child abuse under new guidance for prosecutors, amid concerns from judges and coroners about deaths and serious harms caused by the procedure.A draft document by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) on “honour-based abuse, forced marriages, and harmful practices”, classes circumcision as a potential crime alongside breast flattening, virginity testing, hymenoplasty and exorcisms.The wording of the document, seen by the Guardian, has alarmed some religious groups, with Jewish and Muslim leaders defending the cultural importance of the practice.The draft CPS guidance states that, unlike female genital mutilation, “there is not a specific criminal offence of carrying out male circumcision”.“However, this can be a painful and harmful practice, if carried out incorrectly or in inappropriate circumstances

United against hatred: the Labour MP and ex-Tory MP bringing communities together

They are nursing their cups of tea on opposing sides of the table, and sit on opposing sides of the party political divide, but Gurinder Singh Josan and Kris Hopkins find common cause when it comes to the rise of populism, 1970s-style racism and community division – and finding ways to resist it.Josan, 53, is a Labour MP; Hopkins, 62, a former Tory MP. It’s bracing how different they are: different politics, different pasts, different manners, different modes of expression, everything is different, but on this issue at least they have ended up under the same bannerBoth are trustees of Hope Unlimited Charitable Trust, one of the Guardian 2025 appeal’s five partner charities. The appeal is raising funds for practical grassroots voluntary projects that build hope, tolerance and trust as an antidote to division, hatred and despair.Josan’s interest was sparked as a student at Royal Holloway, University of London in the 1990s

It’s not too late to donate to our appeal that has raised £900k for charities tackling hate

The Guardian’s 2025 charity appeal launched a few weeks ago against a backdrop of creeping nastiness and social division: the return of 1970s-style racist abuse, the demonisation of refugees and the resurgence of far-right marches in Britain’s streets.Our aim was to raise money and profile for charities that provide an antidote to hatred and othering: whose vital grassroots work is about bringing communities together, establishing common human bonds regardless of skin colour, culture or faith.The theme was hope in unhopeful times. Your response has been characteristically generous. So far we have together raised an incredible £900,000

NHS staff face ‘national emergency’ as patient violence hits 285 incidents a day

Nurses, doctors and paramedics are reporting tens of thousands of violent and sexual assaults by patients every year, amid warnings that the abuse of NHS staff has become a national crisis.More than 295,000 incidents of physical violence and aggression by patients against staff were recorded by 212 NHS trusts in England between 2022 and 2025, freedom of information requests by the Guardian found.Healthcare unions warned of a spike in assaults on staff over Christmas and the New Year. A man attacked and injured six staff and patients with a crowbar in Newton community hospital in Merseyside last week. He has been arrested and detained under the Mental Health Act, according to Merseyside police

‘Spat at, pushed, punched’: medics tell of soaring levels of violence in hospitals

A Guardian call-out to NHS staff in England to share their experiences of violence in hospitals has revealed that doctors, nurses, paramedics and managers are being overwhelmed by a torrent of physical assaults and sexual abuse by patients.Most respondents said they had little faith in the NHS to tackle the scale and severity of this abuse, which included being attacked with weapons, including knives and chairs. Many staff felt there was no point in reporting physical or sexual harm because perpetrators faced no real comeback from the NHS or the police.Chloe, 29, a resident doctor in an acute medical unit at a London hospital, said she had frequently dealt with abuse and threats since completing her training just over a year ago. “Patients have told me to fuck off, and that they’ll ‘sue the shit out of me’,” she said