Nurses are facing ‘abhorrent’ levels of violence in A&E departments including being knocked unconscious, spat at, and even having a gun pointed at them.

The nursing union warns long waiting times in emergency departments are leading to anger among patients who wouldn’t normally act violently.

More needs to be done to protect NHS staff, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) says, as nurses say they no longer feel safe treating patients in A&E.

Sarah Tappy, a senior sister in an A&E in east London, was knocked unconscious after being punched in the head by a patient.

‘The violence is awful,’ she said. ‘And it’s just constant. Nurses, doctors, receptionists – none of us feels safe.’

Figures from 89 hospital trusts, out of a possible 129, revealed there were 4,054 cases of physical violence

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