It is an unfortunate fact of nursing life that much like below-inflation pay rises and other people’s bodily functions, occasional incidents of abuse come with the job.

A recent report from the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) shed light on the issue with some shocking statistics showing that incidents of abuse and violence against staff in A&E departments had doubled since 2019, with nurses being punched, spat on and even threatened with guns and acid attacks (‘Nurses too scared to even go into work — as violence against A+E staff almost doubles in five years’ — www.rcn. org.uk)