NHS: Violence Against NHS Staff

Lord Hayward Excerpts

Monday 2nd March 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

The noble Baroness is right about the increase as reported in the staff survey, and it is indeed shocking and totally unacceptable. The reporting of incidents of physical violence has also increased and, while I do not want to see more violence, if it is there, we need to know about it. On funding and NHS organisations, it comes within their general budgets. We are guiding and supporting those organisations to ensure they use the money in the most appropriate and effective way.

[Lord Hayward (Con)]

My Lords, I have had reason to visit St Thomas’ Hospital on a number of occasions recently to visit the noble Baroness, Lady Fookes, and I assure the Chamber that she is progressing well and thanks everybody for their messages of support, which have come from all sides. Just across the river, I have witnessed on two occasions levels of violence against the staff which I have never witnessed in some of the toughest parts of London or other cities. Nobody who has not experienced what the staff in NHS hospitals have experienced can appreciate the threat that is regularly meted out, to the extent that, last week, I had to act as a witness on behalf of a member of staff at St Thomas’ because he was having to fight off somebody who was trying to beat him up in the hospital.

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

That is a terrible thing that the noble Lord reports, and I appreciate him drawing your Lordships’ House’s attention to it. I can only reiterate the unacceptability of growing violence, bullying and harassment towards staff. Our work is to retain, recruit and get the best out of staff—I know this is a matter of interest to noble Lords—but we cannot do that in this environment. It is absolutely key that staff do not just feel safer but are safer in the workplace.