There were 70,555 recorded incidents last year compared to 56,718 in 2009/10 – a jump of 24 per cent.
It equates to 193 assaults on NHS doctors, nurses and paramedics every day in England. Staff working for Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust experienced the most violence, with 3,583 attacks logged.
Of the 2015/16 assaults, only 1,740 attacks resulted in criminal sanctions.
Mark Porter, of the British Medical Association, said rising workloads led to greater pressure and increased frustration among patients.
“The mechanisms must be there to minimise the likelihoods of attacks, to support staff who experience them and ensure that anyone who commits violence is dealt with appropriately,” he said.
A source close to Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: “We would need to see further evidence to suggest that the introduction of a new offence like this concerning an assault on a member of NHS staff would result in reduced offending.”
The Department of Health said: “NHS staff work incredibly hard in a high-pressure environment and it is completely unacceptable for members of our workforce to be subject to aggression or violence.”
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