The Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) has warned that violence, racism and aggression against A&E staff have become "normalised" across NHS emergency departments, driven largely by long waiting times, overcrowding and staff shortages. Health leaders say most trusts fail to take meaningful action against perpetrators, leaving many staff feeling unsafe, forcing some to take time off to recover, and pushing others to quit the profession altogether. The findings have prompted the launch of RCEM's new "Safe to Care" campaign, calling on policymakers and NHS leaders to make emergency departments safer.

A survey of 2,126 emergency department workers found that 96 per cent had experienced violence or aggression from patients or the public, with 73 per cent facing it weekly or daily and two-thirds reporting discrimination. Only 4 per cent said they always felt safe at work, and just 41 per cent of those who reported incidents said their trust took meaningful action. Staff cited long waits (90 per cent), overcrowding (85 per cent), and staff shortages and corridor care (65 per cent each) as key contributing factors, while more than a quarter of patients waited over four hours in A&E in July. The British Medical Association said new NHS staff standards introduced this summer now hold employers accountable for tackling such abuse, but stressed trusts "must take urgent, meaningful" action.