The doctor, in his 50s, survived being stabbed with a large knife in the early hours of Tuesday, May 26. Metropolitan Police officers, who were already at Hillingdon Hospital in West London attending a separate incident, were alerted to the horrifying assault.

Officers swiftly restrained the 27-year-old attacker and arrested him on suspicion of attempted murder and grievous bodily harm.

An eyewitness in the unit reported seeing the suspect attacking the doctor on the floor of a corridor. He described the suspect as wielding a “big knife” during the assault.

“He was smirking while he was stabbing him,” the witness said.

“The police were there in less than a minute when they got him and walked him past me, the bloke smiled at me.”

The attacker is believed to have mental health issues.

The doctor received treatment for his injuries at the same hospital where the attack took place.

Police confirmed that his condition “has been deemed not to be life-threatening or life-changing.”

The Met Police has appealed for anyone with information to contact them on 101, quoting CAD 926/25May.

A Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust spokesperson said: “We continue to support and reassure our staff following this incident.

“The safety and well-being of our staff is our highest priority and any form of violence or aggression towards our teams is unacceptable.”

Violent incidents targeting A&E nursing staff in England have doubled over the five-year period leading up to 2024, with 4,054 acts of violence recorded against personnel. This equates to just over 11 incidents per day.