Even a report of a patient assaulting a staff member with a weapon went unreported to the authorities.
Meanwhile, workers at North East London NHS Foundation Trust (NELFT) reported 60 sexual incidents between April 2024 and March 2025.
The trust has insisted all potential criminal offences are referred to police by senior staff.
However, it would not answer our question as to why incidents including an assault with a weapon went unreported.
The trust provides mental health treatment and other services across Havering, Redbridge, Waltham Forest and Barking and Dagenham.
It also offers community services in Basildon, Brentwood and Thurrock, employing 7,500 staff to treat a population of more than four million.
Among its facilities is Goodmayes Hospital in Ilford.
The trust told Newsquest: “If there is a suggestion that a criminal offence has been committed, the most appropriate senior member of staff will contact the police.”
It said all reported assaults were “followed up, and if they should be reported to the police then they are”.
As part of a project investigating the levels of violence and abuse NHS staff are forced to endure, Newsquest submitted Freedom of Information requests to numerous trusts across Essex, London and Sussex.
Figures disclosed by NELFT revealed the following were reported by staff:
-799 incidents of “physical abuse / assault / violence”, of which 179 (22 per cent) were reported to police
-Two incidents of assault with a weapon, of which only one was reported to police
-60 sexual incidents, of which eight (13pc) were reported to police
-53 incidents of racial abuse, of which 10 (19pc) were reported to police
Quizzed by Newsquest, the trust claimed incidents which resulted in “no harm”, including reports of “swearing”, had been included in the data it released to us.
It said its staff survey showed an above average feeling of safety at work, while reports of “unwanted sexual behaviour at work” were “significantly lower than average”.
“We are committed to staff and patient safety,” it said, adding that it was “working closely with local police to establish clearer protocols for when and how to escalate incidents”.
“We are committed to a broader cultural shift,” a spokesperson said. “One where all staff feel safe, supported and confident that their experiences are heard and acted upon.
“We believe that sustained work in these areas will continue to improve reporting and staff wellbeing and move us closer to or beyond national benchmarks.”
