As many as 75% of GPs report increased verbal abuse and aggression from patients, according to an alarming new survey.

Some 38% of doctors said there had been a “significant” increase in abuse towards them and their practice staff in the survey of 2,000 doctors conducted by the Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scotland. Most of these doctors report increases in their levels of personal stress since before the first pandemic lockdown in 2020, the Union said.

The British Medical Association said it was pressing for stronger legal penalties against those who harass health workers. Dr Kieran Sharrock, deputy chair of the BMA GP committee in England, said: “For doctors to be the brunt of violence and abuse in this way is wholly unacceptable; it’s no surprise that GPs feel as undervalued as they do and are considering leaving the profession, as this report and multiple BMA surveys have shown. This deeply disturbing trend must be addressed. The Government must not only be honest with the public about what general practice can achieve right now – given the chronic workforce shortages, backlog, and lack of resource – but also actually support the profession so that we can provide the kind of care we want to.”

The defence union’s chief medical officer Dr John Holden said: “The results of our survey are distressing. We know GPs work hard to ensure all patients receive care when they need it. Being a GP can be one of the best jobs in the world, but right now GPs need to feel valued, supported and empowered. In addition, regulators will need to redouble their efforts to communicate to all healthcare professionals that their systems have been revised to take into account the extraordinary conditions doctors and dentists have worked through since 2020.”