Who is most at risk?

Official statistics – the Crime Survey for England and Wales – show that workers in protective services are most at risk of work-related violence and aggression, with those working in health and social care also at increased risk. These workers include police and prison officers and firefighters as well as nurses, midwives, paramedics and radiographers. The RCN nurses’ union reports that NHS Staff Survey’s from across the UK continue to show high levels of both verbal and physical abuse towards NHS staff. And nursing and midwifery staff with one or more protected characteristics are more likely to experience work-related violence.

In the union’s 2021 employment survey, Workforce diversity and employment experiences, nearly two thirds (64%) of all respondents reported experiencing verbal abuse from a patient, service user or relative in the previous 12 months, and 26% reported they had experienced physical abuse.

Black respondents were most likely to report having experienced physical abuse, compared to white and Asian respondents and those of mixed ethnic background. Around one in eight of those who had experienced verbal or physical abuse stated they believed it was discriminatory behaviour, linked for example to their gender, ethnicity, age, sexuality or whether they have a disability (also see pages 37-40).

The GMB Violence in Schools guide highlights lone workers and those carrying out home visits as among those groups at higher risk (see pages 31-32).