Minister: hospital aggression figures mixed, no excuse for abuse

Minister Sterk (Long-term Care, Youth and Sport) has answered parliamentary questions on aggression against healthcare staff. The questions followed a report that nearly 300 people are on hospitals' blacklists. Her answers were received on 11 November 2026.

Sterk said the cabinet upholds a clear norm: aggression against healthcare workers is not acceptable. "Frustration can arise when expectations are not met, but this must be no excuse for aggression," she wrote.

She said the available figures from the AZW programme are not unambiguous. The share of hospital employees who face verbal aggression, physical aggression or threats and intimidation has been fairly stable for several years.

At the same time, more than a quarter of employees and more than half of employers say aggression has increased. A substantial share of employers, 42% in the fourth quarter of 2025, say it has become more severe. The share of employees who report aggression they experience rose from almost 48% in 2024 to more than 51% in 2025.

Sterk said the picture may combine more frequent aggression, greater severity, more attention to the problem and a higher willingness to report. She hopes to gain more clarity next year. "Every incident of aggression is one too many," she added, calling reporting very important.

Rijnstate hospital in Arnhem had said social polarisation plays a part in ruder behaviour towards staff. The minister called this a complex issue with no ready answer. She knows of no research into a causal link between polarisation and such behaviour.