Queensland hospital staff have been stabbed, bashed, spat on and abused thousands of times in the past year while trying to treat patients, with a 40 per cent jump in assaults since 2016-17.

Figures obtained by Brisbane Times reveal both threatened and actual attacks have increased within 12 of the state's 16 health services since 2017.

CCTV shows a security guard being punched at the Royal Brisbane and Women's hospital in 2017.

A Brisbane emergency department nurse, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said staff were punched, bitten, scratched, spat on and abused by patients "all the time".

"I would say most of the assaults are by people who are drunk or high. I don't think I know a single person who works in ED who has not been at least verbally abused," she said.