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ITV London's Ronke Phillips has spent months investigating the growing levels of violence and abuse faced by NHS staff across the capital.

As part of the investigation, Ronke visited Newham Hospital to hear first-hand from frontline workers dealing with aggression from patients and visitors on an almost daily basis.

Working with the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), the report draws on conversations with staff from hospitals across London to understand the scale of the problem. New figures from the RCN reveal a rise in both verbal and physical assaults on nursing staff, with many incidents involving racist abuse.

At Newham Hospital, Ronke spoke to emergency medicine consultant Dr Sarah Nunn, matron Katie Carrington and security officer Haseeb Ramzan about the challenges of caring for patients while keeping staff and visitors safe.

For Dr Nunn, abuse has become an all-too-familiar part of the job:

"I think the amount of verbal aggression that we experience is pretty constant throughout the day. The sad thing is that perhaps we're getting immune to it. We're getting used to it, but overall it really affects everyone's morale."

The impact extends beyond clinical teams. Hospital security staff are also increasingly dealing with violent and unpredictable incidents.

Haseeb Ramzan, a member of Newham Hospital's security team, described some of the abuse staff have experienced:

"We've had people use their own bodily excretions to throw at us. Whatever they can find, they'll often use as weapons."

The abuse ranges from shouting and threats to serious physical assaults, placing increasing pressure on an already stretched workforce.

The piece highlights that these incidents can affect morale, staff retention and ultimately the care patients receive.

These cases highlight the difficult balance NHS staff must strike every day - delivering compassionate care while managing safety in the face of unacceptable abuse and violence.

Catch up on ITV London News or watch the full piece on YouTube.

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