NHS staff face rising tide of abuse from patients provoked by long waits

Chronic underfunding, Covid and staff shortages blamed for increase in physical and verbal assaults

NHS staff across the UK are facing a growing tide of abuse" including assaults from patients, which they say is being caused by frustration at long waits for care.

In a strongly worded joint statement, which has been shared with the Guardian, six key medical bodies and staff groups blame patients' increasingly long delays in receiving treatment on years of successive governments underinvesting in the NHS and not fixing severe workforce shortages.