NHS staff are frequently being harassed by members of the public filming them with their phones and threatening to post footage online, UNISON research suggests today (Monday).
A survey of thousands of health workers from across the UK – released to coincide with the first day of the union’s annual health conference, which opens in Liverpool later today – has found one in seven (14%) have experienced unwanted and intrusive filming or photography in the past year alone.
Incidents are leaving staff feeling unsettled, intimidated, fearful and vulnerable as they go about their jobs, UNISON says.
Experiences have included people using their phones to film health workers on duty or giving emergency care as they treat patients for cardiac arrests and then that footage being livestreamed or put on platforms such as TikTok.
Phone cameras are also being as used as the digital equivalent of “rubbernecking”, says the union, with one member of the public brazenly filming a victim of a car accident with serious injuries despite pleas from staff to stop. The culprit had to be escorted from the scene by police.
NHS workers say phones, webcams and other hidden devices are being commonly used, often accompanied by threats to intimidate staff or as a bargaining tools, to attempt to get medication prescribed.
Incidents are occurring in hospitals, patients’ homes and even during medical consultations, with the footage being livestreamed to relatives who sometimes interrupt and disagree with diagnoses being given by clinical staff.
Respondents have made clear that when asked to stop, some people have become confrontational, refused to delete footage or have used the threat of posting to social media to make unsavoury demands of health workers.
One member of staff said: “Patients think they can get their own way (and make you do things you don’t have to) by getting a phone out and filming just to intimidate you.”
Another commented: “Patients use their phones constantly, regardless of any notices in the area asking them not to. They video the department, altercations and anything out of the ordinary. They film nurses they don’t agree with, and shout at them demanding their names. It’s out of control. I work in the emergency department and urgent care centre and patients’ behaviour is getting worse.”
The incidents form part of a wider pattern of harassment, abuse and violence against NHS staff by patients, their families, hospital visitors and members of the public, UNISON’s research found.
The union surveyed more than 14,000 health workers about their experiences in the past year, with 19% reporting they’d been subject to violence as they went about their jobs.
Four in ten (41%) of those who had been attacked reported a punch being thrown, with kicks (35%), slaps (27%) and spitting (36%) also relatively common.
UNISON says health trusts must send a clear signal that attacks on, or intimidation of, staff in any form are completely unacceptable.
Some health workers are left to challenge the harassment in their own time, having no option but to take on those who have posted on social media themselves, often with little or no support from their employer, says the union.
The government should tighten the law to make it clear that workplace harassment, even if conducted online, is still an offence for which perpetrators can be prosecuted, UNISON says.
NHS trusts and health boards must ensure signs are displayed warning that anyone filming interactions with their staff risks being ejected from the premises. Enhanced training for security staff and the whole NHS workforce as to what is, and is not, acceptable should also be provided, adds the union.
UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said: “Health workers must be able to do their jobs free from harassment, unwanted and intrusive filming and associated threats of violence. Their work is tough enough as it is, without people shoving phones in their faces and putting them under a whole new level of pressure.
“Harassing NHS workers through social media, or threatening to post material online, is completely unacceptable. Employers and the government must take this issue seriously, provide solid support and intervene properly, not abandon staff to tackle the online bullies themselves.
“Employers should make it clear that filming staff at work without consent is harassment and that they will come down hard on anyone who indulges in this kind of threatening anti-social behaviour.”
Notes to editors:
H- UNISON surveyed NHS staff in all four nations of the UK from 26 February to 14 March 2025. A total of 2,072 (14%) said they had been filmed or photographed while on duty out of 14,713 who answered the question. A further 971 (7%) were unsure whether they had been filmed.
– Comments given by respondents included the following:
“A member of the public was filming a young man who had been involved in a road traffic accident, a pedestrian who had been knocked down by a car. I asked for the person to stop filming, but he continued. I then had to ask the police to remove him from the scene, which they did.”
“A teenage patient tried to film me surreptitiously, I did notice and I asked them to stop filming me and delete the video as I had not given my consent. Luckily the patient’s father took the phone away from the patient and showed me he’d deleted the file. As the patient was going to be in for a few days, I had to inform all staff on the ward that he might try to film them so to be vigilant.”
“Recordings were made and the trust legal team were consulted about potentially blocking the patient from uploading the footage he’d shot. They were told they could use the recordings to aid the care (as an aide memoire).”
“I’ve found that when certain patients are being assessed, a large number of family members appear on the scene. They then video your care or demand that medication be administered – either drugs that I don’t carry or medication that’s not suitable for the patient.”
“I’m a district nurse. A patient informed us he had CCTV of our cars parked outside his house when we visit and he has all of our registration numbers recorded. He has threatened to crash into certain members of staff if he sees them in their cars.”
“A patient in A&E was discharged so we had to escort him out of the department as he was refusing to leave. None of us put our hands on the patient, but he was filming us with his phone saying he was going to share the footage on Facebook.”
“I don’t know if the shots were uploaded but I’ve seen people filming me and my colleagues in the A&E and intensive care departments. When asked to delete the pictures and videos, they became very confrontational.”
“Photos were taken of me and other members of staff by a patient, who then uploaded them to Facebook and was very rude about the hospital and trust. The patient was sent a letter asking for the post to be removed but did nothing to remove it.”
“I’ve had many instances in clinics where I’ve politely asked patients or relatives to stop filming consultations or taking photographs. Then you just get met with a lot of verbal aggression.”
“I work in A&E, I have experienced being photographed or videoed many times. I do not know if these have been uploaded to social media or sent to anyone, but this happens often.”
“People try to intimidate staff by goading them, then filming to try to trip them up. Support from the trust is non-existent. Often letters of apology are sent to people, without staff even being asked what had actually gone on.”
– UNISON’s annual health conference runs from Monday 7 to Wednesday 9 April 2025 at ACC Liverpool L3 4FP. The union’s general secretary Christina McAnea will be giving her keynote speech on Tuesday afternoon. Health workers from across the UK will be in attendance to debate a variety of motions including NHS pay, a greener NHS, bank staff, support for migrant workers, mental health, sexual safety, problems with NHS salary scales, and safe staffing.
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union with more than 1.3 million members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary and private sectors.
Media contacts:
Anthony Barnes M: 07834 864794 E: a.barnes@unison.co.uk
Liz Chinchen M: 07778 158175 E: press@unison.co.uk
The article Video and photo harassment by the public is intimidating for health workers first appeared on the UNISON National site.
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