Violence, Abuse, and Harassment

21 October 2022

The 2021 NHS Staff Survey for England found that 27.5% of NHS Staff experienced harassment, bullying, or abuse from patients, service users, their relatives or other members of the public in the last 12 months.

We know that you go to work each day to do the very best for our patients, their families, and the community. Violence, abuse, and harassment can have on people’s health and wellbeing, affecting both mental and physical health.

Public-facing assets are available to download from the Campaign Resource Centre, featuring NHS staff working in a range of different NHS settings, including general practice, pharmacy, optometry, and dentistry, carrying the message ‘We are here to help you. Thank you for treating us with respect’. They have been produced with staff, stakeholders, and patient groups to support NHS teams to reduce abuse and violence against staff.

NHS England runs a confidential text support service that you can access by texting FRONTLINE to 85258 for support 24/7. This service is available to all our NHS colleagues who have had a tough day, who are feeling worried or overwhelmed, or who have a lot on their mind and need to talk it through.

Victim Support operates a free and confidential 24/7 Support line and live chat service, every day of the year – offering specialist support to anyone who has been a victim of crime.

If you don’t know where to go to access NHS support, the free and confidential self-check tool can provide you with further information on the range of support offers that are available to help you identify what option is the right one for you to access. The self-check tool is now available at the following link: self-check tool