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Coventry University researcher calls for fresh focus on supporting NHS staff suffering abuse in the workplace
One in seven NHS workers experienced physical violence in the past 12 months
University news / Research news
Thursday 12 March 2026
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A Coventry University researcher is championing a new approach to how NHS staff are supported after suffering violence or abuse in the workplace, highlighting the post‑incident period as a critical – but often overlooked – opportunity to protect wellbeing and improve retention.
The latest NHS Staff Survey released today (12 March) shows that one in seven NHS workers (14%) experienced physical violence in the past 12 months, underscoring the need for compassionate, consistent support for staff following challenging interactions.
For nurse and PhD student Dana Sammut, the issue is personal. During her early career on the wards, she saw how distressing or confrontational situations affected colleagues in very different ways. These experiences sparked her interest in what hospitals do after an incident occurs – and how those responses could be strengthened.
Now based at Coventry University’s Research Centre for Healthcare and Community Transformation, Dana is examining the support offered in the period after an incident. Her work explores how thoughtful, timely approaches can help healthcare workers feel more supported, recover well and continue delivering high‑quality care.
My aim is to draw attention to the post‑violence period. I believe it’s where we can reduce harm, protect staff and build more resilient workplaces
Dana Sammut, Nurse and PhD student
Her new study, Post‑Event Strategies for Workplace Violence Affecting Hospital Staff, co‑authored with Professor Liz Deutsch (Coventry University and Centre for Care Excellence, University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire NHS Trust) and Dr Nutmeg Hallett (University of Birmingham), reviews evidence from 27 international publications to build a clearer picture of how hospitals respond once violence or aggression has taken place.
The research found that post‑incident practices – such as staff debriefs, access to psychological support, follow‑up conversations, accountability measures and system‑level reviews – are frequently embedded within wider workplace‑violence programmes. As a result, their individual purpose, impact and intended outcomes are often unclear.
In addition to asking what it means for interventions to ‘work’, I wanted to understand what’s actually being done. Most post‑incident measures aren’t treated as standalone strategies, so we pay little attention to how they’re intended to help staff or what outcomes they’re meant to achieve.
Dana Sammut, Nurse and PhD student
Her findings suggest that focusing narrowly on whether violence decreases can overlook where meaningful change happens: in the moments and days after an incident, for example, when the effects on staff may be most acute.
We can’t prevent every difficult incident but we can control what happens afterwards. The post‑violence period is where we can take meaningful action, reduce the ripple effects, support staff recovery and ultimately strengthen prevention.
Dana Sammut, Nurse and PhD student
The study recommends a shift towards a Safety‑II approach, which focuses on resilience, learning and organisational adaptation – moving beyond primary prevention alone and towards understanding how teams can thrive even after challenging events.
Read the full study.
