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Accident and Emergency Departments: Crimes of Violence

Asked by Helen MorganLiberal DemocratDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled Answered 19 March 2026UIN 119527

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many assaults on staff in NHS A&E departments have been recorded each year since 2019.

Answered by Karin Smyth

The 2025 NHS staff survey showed that 14.47% of staff experienced at least one incidence of violence in the last 12 months from patients and/or service users, their relatives, or other members of the public, compared to 14.38% in 2024, 13.88% in 2023, 14.82% in 2022, 14.57% in 2021, 14.90% in 2020, and 15.08% in 2019. Data taken from the NHS Staff Survey cannot, however, be used to identity whether an incident has occurred in a particular department.

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