Meanwhile, the college noted that nursing staff had reported 40 incidents of violence and abuse during just the first quarter of 2026. Reports of racist abuse were also increasing, mirroring wider societal trends, with Black and internationally educated nursing staff facing the highest level of abuse, the RCN warned. Nursing staff have come to expect to be at the receiving end of this on every shift. She told assembly members that many nursing staff in London had been left with life-changing physical and psychological harm. “Without an immediate step change, we risk losing more nursing staff due to ill-health, with patients ultimately paying the cost.”