Care workers suffered more than 6,000 violent attacks during the last five years, shocking new figures reveal. Workers on the front line report that almost all would have been perpetrated by residents in their care, many of whom have mental health conditions.

The statistics, which were obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, are being released by the GMB union that represents care workers, ahead of its annual congress, which begins in Brighton today.

They show that between the financial years 2013-14 and 2017-18, 6,034 violent attacks on carers resulting in serious injury were reported to the Health and Safety Executive.

Of these, 5,008 workers were so seriously injured that they had to take at least seven days off work.

A further 1,026 carers suffered a “specified” injury – a category that includes fractures, loss of sight, brain damage, loss of consciousness, asphyxia, or amputation. One attack resulted in the death of a carer, the Observer understands.

“Our members often tell us about the abuse they have to face at work – and these figures back them up,” said Rachel Harrison, GMB national officer. “These statistics are the tip of the iceberg – they only include the most serious injuries. Our members have to deal with violence on a daily basis.”

Violent attacks account for a third of reports involving residential care workers – compared with just 7% of reports for all workers.

“Unfortunately, our members are sometimes put under unacceptable pressure to keep working after an attack when they should be receiving care themselves,” Harrison said. “Care is crucial. But too often the sector is overlooked and the people working in care treated as less than the frontline professionals that they are.”

Sarah, (not her real name) who is in her early 30s and has been working in care homes both in the public and private sector since she left school, said attacks were common.

“I was talking to a colleague at a desk and a resident rugby-tackled me into a set of metal filing cabinets and then continued to beat me up. I ended up with badly bruised ribs, and he broke my glasses, which cut my face. There’s no ill will towards him at all – he had a mental illness.”

A senior carer with a degree in social care, Sarah had to have two weeks off to recover – on basic sick pay at £70 a week.

“Considering I was doing 50-plus hours at the time, it was a big wage cut for me,” she said. “We know it’s going to happen every day. You get kicked, scratched, spat at, sworn at. I had a friend ask me, ‘Did you used to cut yourself as a teenager?’ I said no, that’s nail marks from residents over the years.”

Despite the abuse, Sarah said that she harboured no feelings of resentment towards the residents she was looking after.

“You care for the person – you don’t hold it against them,” she said. “Nine times out of 10 it’s a mental illness, whether it’s dementia, bipolar or schizophrenia. You understand that.”

The release of the figures will help foster greater awareness of the conditions under which carers work.

“The only time you hear about carers in the news is when they attack residents,” Sarah said. “Most homes are chronically understaffed. On average, there are three carers to 20 residents and I’ve even known it to be two carers. It’s not a safe number. Absence is high in that job because people just don’t want to come in. We’ve had so many leave and go into retail.”

Part of the problem, she said, was the lack of recognition that carers receive. “A nurse is valued. You tell people you are a carer and it’s just like ‘You’re a carer, OK’ – but we’re on the front line. We hold them when they are passing away and do the little things like laying out someone’s clothes to see what they want to wear for the day.”