NHS

Big increase in physical assaults on NHS staff in England

Physical assaults on NHS staff in England rose by nearly 10 per cent last year compared to 2015–2016, according to new figures published by UNISON and the Health Service Journal (HSJ). The figures were obtained following a Freedom of Information request to all the 244 NHS trusts in England (answers were received from 181 organisations). The trusts responding to the FoI request reported physical assaults on staff of 56,435 in 2016–2017, a 9.7 per cent increase on the 2015–2016 data (51,447).