About half of GPs have experienced recent abuse with a fifth facing serious threats, according to the disturbing findings of a survey published today.

Overall, as many as a third of doctors have faced abuse from patients or people accompanying patients, according to the British Medical Association survey of more than 2,400 doctors. The survey points to a worrying increase in abuse of doctors and other health staff.

Medical leaders said the last year had been challenging for patients as well as doctors – but there is also concern that obsessive anti-lockdown and anti-vaccination campaigns have legitimised threatening behaviour in some groups, especially on social media. In the BMA survey, about two thirds of doctors said the abuse was probably linked to dissatisfaction with the service. This rose to 75% among GPs.
About 51% had witnessed violence or abuse against other staff – with two thirds of GPs reporting this, stating that it is mainly directed against reception staff.

BMA GP committee chair Dr Richard Vautrey said: “The last year-and-a-half has been an incredibly challenging time for both doctors and patients, and many doctors share the frustration of their patients around unfamiliar ways of working, or if waiting times are too long. However, abuse, violence and threats are absolutely unacceptable and should never be tolerated. GPs and their colleagues are doing their absolute best, day in, day out, to provide care to their local communities, and we know that the vast majority of our patients appreciate the hard work we are doing. However, these findings show an incredibly worrying trend, with GPs reporting rising levels of abuse against staff in general practice, who are already working under intense pressure.

“Facing such abuse leaves doctors fearing for the safety of themselves, their colleagues and their loved ones, which can have a profound effect on their wellbeing. It can leave even the most resilient GP feeling alienated and undervalued, leaving them questioning their career when the NHS can ill afford to lose any more staff in general practice. Meanwhile, being on the receiving end of rudeness can impact productivity and the quality of work, ultimately threatening patient care. There must be an honest public conversation, led by the Government and NHS England, about the precarious state the NHS now finds itself in after 18 months of managing a pandemic, so that people have realistic expectations, and to prevent staff bearing the brunt of frustration and anger.”

One female GP, based in the South West, reported: “In just the last week I have been shouted at because I asked someone to do a PCR test for their new cough and fever, and was called the most horrifically offensive name after I asked someone not to come into the surgery waiting room with a cough, and instead asked them to come to our onsite ‘hot clinic’ where people with COVID symptoms can be seen safely. I was also told to ‘go back to where you come from’ by a patient who was unhappy at me being unable to tell him when he would be seen in hospital. The misleading headlines about practices being closed haven’t helped at all.”

The GP went on: “My neighbour – who has seen me go out the door to work every single day through the pandemic – and saw me come home late and tired and in tears, said yesterday ‘are you seeing patients again yet?’This feels so unfair and unkind when we have never closed and never stopped seeing patients.
These behaviours are causing staff members, from receptionists to nurses and GPs, to want to quit. Our local practice managers are so distressed by the unrelenting complaints and poor behaviour that they are leaving in droves. The social contract that general practice prides itself on being built on seems to have broken down and people think it’s ok to be rude and unkind.”