London mayor Sadiq Khan has urged Londoners and visitors to support the capital’s healthcare and other frontline workers in the wake of significant increases in reports of abuse.
The mayor is sending messages of support to workers across the capital to honour everything they do for London as part of his “Loved and Wanted” campaign.
The campaign was launched last year to celebrate the capital’s diversity in the face of rising fear, hatred and division online and on the streets.
The campaign has included creating a network of community spaces to help London’s diverse communities access support services and to provide a space for them to come together and learn from each other.
This time, author and poet David Larbi will pay tribute to London’s frontline workers, with the tribute shown across the transport network, on advertising boards across the city, through partners, and on social media.
It sits alongside a wide range of work by partners across the capital to show that workplace violence and aggression are completely unacceptable.
New polling published on Friday (12) shows that more than a fifth (22 per cent) of Londoners feel that healthcare workers are being treated negatively by the public.
This was even higher for transport workers (37 per cent) and retail and hospitality workers (25 percent).
An earlier report by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) had indicated that there has been a 78 per cent increase in reports of racist abuse towards nursing staff across the UK over four years.
The RCN report said that figures collated from Freedom of Information (FOI) requests indicate that in the past four years nursing staff reported racism at work more than 21,000 times.
In 2025, nursing staff reported 6,812 incidents of racial abuse while working in NHS trusts and health boards across the UK, rising from 3,652 in 2022.
Racist incidents became so frequent in 2025 that a member of nursing staff was reporting a new case of racist abuse every 77 minutes across the UK.
As per the NHS staff survey 2025, more than a quarter of NHS London staff reported harassment, bullying or abuse at work from the public.
There has also been a marked increase in violence against retail workers, bus driver and rail operating staff.
Regarding this new initiative, Khan said, “Our frontline workers are the very heart of our capital – keeping us moving, caring for us when we get ill and looking after so many of our needs. The COVID-19 pandemic was a stark reminder of how vital these workers are, but since then we’ve seen a disgraceful rise in abuse.
“These are human beings trying to do a hugely important job and it’s shameful that they are facing such treatment. That’s why I’m calling on all Londoners and visitors to play their part by standing up for diversity, equality and decency, and showing that our capital will always be a place for everyone.”
RCN director for London Lisa Elliott said, “Nursing staff are the backbone of the city’s health and care services, working around the clock to ensure Londoners receive safe, effective and compassionate care.
“London has the most diverse nursing workforce in the UK, reflecting the rich makeup of our population, and this must be recognised as a strength. Yet increasing numbers of nursing staff in the capital are experiencing physical attacks and verbal abuse at work.
“Racial abuse is widespread, with many internationally educated staff bearing the brunt of this behaviour. Let me be clear: no one should be abused, threatened, or assaulted at work. Nursing staff must be respected and feel safe.
“At a time when anti-immigration rhetoric is rising, the Loved and Wanted campaign reminds the public and politicians of the vital contribution nursing staff make.”