March 2025

Glimpses of the physical violence faced by health workers has previously been provided by anecdotal evidence. Our survey of more than 1,000 nurses, carried out with Unison, has now given an indication of the extent of this issue., with 93% of respondents saying they had experienced physical violence at some point in their careers. Our findings drill down further to look at the types of violence endured, the underlying causes, impact on people and response from employers. Unison national nursing officer Stuart Tuckwood noted that, across the UK each day, nurses and healthcare staff experienced violence at work, making them “feel unsafe and forcing many to leave jobs they love”.

Our opinion section also features the views of Tim Mitnik and Jessica Vaughan who are both at the start of their careers and already feel the need to speak out. There are ways of trying to prevent or deter violence. For example, a practice development nurse in London describes how he has developed a programme to teach staff de-escalation techniques.