NHS workers are being ‘mugged at knifepoint’ for their ID badges

An NHS nurse who is working to tackle the coronavirus pandemic sweeping the UK has revealed that fellow hospital staff have been mugged at knifepoint for their identification badges.

The anonymous nurse, who is based in a London hospital, took to social media to raise awareness of the horrifying issue, explaining that a number of her co-workers had been threatened by armed muggers.

The NHS employee took to Instagram to share a message that had been sent to her by a colleague, warning her of the danger.

The message read, ‘Oh and in more good news, be careful coming in and leaving work as 4 members of staff have been mugged in the past couple of days, in daylight as well, because fewer people are around the muggers are just going for it.’

Captioning the post, the angry nurse penned, ‘Some really sickening news from yesterday... 4 members of staff have been mugged at KNIFE point when leaving their shift.’

Revealing the motivation behind the nasty attacks, she added, ‘It would seem these mugs are after our phones and ID badges.

‘As if work isn't scary enough at the minute. Please look after one another. Action needs to be taken to keep our streets safe just now.’

The incidents came after it was revealed that a number of food outlets and supermarkets were offering special discounts and exclusive shopping hours to those working for the NHS during the health crisis.

The nurse told OK! magazine, “At first I thought maybe the muggers wanted hand sanitisers or medication to be stealing things from the hospital, but on further thought I realised that it's probably low life people wanting the NHS discounts and the perks health workers are getting for continuing to work and continuing to go into a very dangerous environment.

“It's really, really sad. It's obviously very, very upsetting. We're being given these perks because we're going to work. Everyone else is being told to stay at home for their own safety.”