Medics who are risking their lives by fighting coronavirus on the front line are facing a ‘rising level of abuse’, a new poll has found.
The British Medical Association (BMA) warned of a rise in abuse towards GPs since the pandemic began as it called on the public to be kind to NHS workers.
A new poll from the doctors’ union found that more than a third of doctors have faced ‘recent abuse’ from patients or those accompanying them to appointments.
This was even higher among GPs where half said they had been abused in some format during the last month.
The survey of more than 2,400 doctors in England, Wales and Northern Ireland found 37% had been verbally abused by patients, or those accompanying them to appointments, in the past month. This rose to 51% of GPs.
One in five GPs reported being threatened and 34 doctors said that they had been physically assaulted in the last month.
More than two in five (43%) said that they thought instances of threatening behaviour, violence or verbal abuse from patients had increased over the last year.
The survey comes after a warning that the NHS waiting list could rise to more than 14 million in England alone by autumn next year.
If millions of patients who did not receive care during the pandemic return to the health service for medical attention, then the number joining the waiting list could outstrip the number being treated, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said.
The BMA survey showed that among those who had received some sort of abuse, 64% said they believed that the perpetrator was dissatisfied with the service.
In some instances the police were called, in other instances patients were removed from the GP ‘s list but in half of cases no action was taken.
Dr Richard Vautrey, BMA GP committee chair, 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.’
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