Jess Turnbull, a senior sister on the accident and emergency unit at St Thomas' Hospital in Waterloo, says she and her colleagues face regular physical violence from patients and visitors, including punches, scratches and kicks. Her account comes as new figures show physical assaults on staff at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust rose by 60% year-on-year, prompting the trust to launch a public campaign against violence and abuse in its hospitals.
"I've been punched and scratched and kicked," says senior nurse Jess Turnbull, a sister on the A&E unit at St Thomas' Hospital in Waterloo.
"A colleague of mine has had their jaw broken. People have been chased with knives in the department. It can be hard to carry on with your job when there's violence and aggression going on."
Turnbull's account aligns with the trust's own recent staff survey, which recorded a sharp increase in physical assaults on employees compared with the previous year. In response, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust is rolling out a campaign to make clear that violent and abusive conduct will not be tolerated, and to highlight the toll such incidents take on both individuals and teams.
How long has Turnbull worked in this environment?
Turnbull has spent many years as a sister at St Thomas' Hospital, but she says the working environment has grown steadily more difficult. She said abuse from patients, relatives or members of the public tends to stay with her long after a shift ends.
"I always find it quite horrible when somebody's threatening to be violent towards you, especially when they say something like 'I'm going to get you after work'.
"You don't want to feel unsafe leaving your shift at the end of the day. I always find that's quite hard to hear.
"Because it's so busy there, you don't have a lot of time to process what's happened. You just need to get on and see the next patient."
What kinds of injuries have staff suffered?
Turnbull says most of her A&E colleagues have experienced similar hostility, with some suffering serious physical harm during confrontations with patients or visitors.
"A colleague of mine has had their jaw broken," she said. "There's been broken bones.
"Everything can be used as a weapon; fire extinguishers, furniture.
"We regularly have to call police to support us, and we still need to help really unwell patients in and amongst all that's going on."
Who else has been targeted at the hospital?
Security staff working around the clock across St Thomas' Hospital also face frequent hostility while supporting nurses and other clinical teams. Ike Obi, head of security at the hospital, says his team encounters abuse on a near-daily basis.
"The team deal with loads of abuse, threatening behaviour, racist, sexist, homophobic behaviour towards them on a daily basis," Obi said.
"One of our security staff was trying to restrain an aggressive patient and he had his finger bitten off.
"He had to undergo surgery here, although he lost that finger. After a while he left."
How widespread is the problem across the trust?
The experiences described by Turnbull and Obi are not confined to a single ward or hospital. Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust now spans five hospitals in London, and its 2025 staff survey found that roughly one in ten employees reported experiencing physical violence at work, according to a national broadcaster's report.
According to the same survey, physical assaults on staff climbed from 418 reported cases in 2024-25 to 669 in 2025-26, while aggressive and abusive behaviour toward clinical and administrative staff rose by 23% over the same period, per a national broadcaster's report. Combined, that amounts to almost two physical assaults and more than eight incidents of aggressive or abusive conduct against staff every single day.
Is this part of a wider national trend?
The pressures described at St Thomas' Hospital echo a broader pattern seen across English emergency departments in recent years. The Royal College of Nursing has reported that violence against emergency-department staff in England nearly doubled, rising from 2,093 incidents in 2019 to 4,134 in 2024, according to the BMJ. Separate figures cited by the college showed a similar rise, from 2,093 incidents in 2019 to 4,054 in 2024, based on Freedom of Information data reported by a national newspaper's report.
The most recent NHS staff survey found that 14.38% of staff nationally had experienced at least one incident of physical violence in the previous year, according to a medical news outlet. The Royal College of Nursing has described emergency departments as a "tinderbox" for violence, pointing to long waits and understaffing as contributing factors, per the same report. One estimate cited in that coverage suggested a member of emergency-department staff in England is attacked roughly once every hour on a typical working day.
Abuse toward public-facing workers is not limited to healthcare settings. Shop workers in Northern Ireland have also reported frequent abuse and threats, which prompted a new Sentencing Bill aimed at protecting public-facing staff with stronger penalties and additional support from police and business groups. In a related parliamentary debate, a London shop assistant described racial abuse and threats she experienced at work, with MPs highlighting widespread retail violence and calling for tougher enforcement.
What is the trust doing about it?
Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust has launched a poster campaign across its hospitals in direct response to the rising number of assaults, aiming to signal clearly that violent or abusive behaviour toward staff and patients will not be accepted. Crystal Akass, chief people officer at the trust, said most patients and visitors treat staff with respect, but stressed that even isolated incidents leave a lasting mark.
"The vast majority of our patients and visitors are respectful to colleagues here at the trust, but even isolated incidents of aggression can have a lasting effect on individuals and teams."
"This campaign draws attention to how we want all our colleagues to be treated - every one of whom has a right to feel safe and protected in their workplace."
Karen Bonner, NHS England's chief nurse for London, said racist attacks on staff have also increased, and warned of the toll this takes on a workforce that reflects London's diversity.
"We see an increase in racist attacks on our staff and we know that we've got a diverse community of staff here in London."
"The mental and physical impact it has on our colleagues - some people will leave the NHS as a consequence to that, or not be able to work in that direct patient care."
What do staff want going forward?
Both Turnbull and Obi say they intend to keep helping patients who come through the hospital's doors, but they hope the public will show more consideration toward them and their colleagues in future.
Key Facts
- Physical assaults on staff at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust rose 60% year-on-year, from 418 cases in 2024-25 to 669 in 2025-26.
- Aggressive and abusive behaviour toward staff rose 23%, amounting to more than eight incidents a day across the trust's five London hospitals.
- About one in ten staff at the trust reported experiencing physical violence in the latest survey.
- Nationally, violence against emergency-department staff in England nearly doubled between 2019 and 2024, according to Royal College of Nursing data.
- The trust has launched a poster campaign stating that violent and abusive behaviour toward staff is unacceptable.
