MORE than a third of doctors and their colleagues have faced abuse at work over the past month alone, according to a survey published by the British Medical Association.

Now the BMA, which represents doctors across the UK, is calling on the public to be kind, saying that doctors and their colleagues are dealing with covid, the greatest health crisis of a generation.

Their survey revealed a worrying level of abuse, with half of GPs reporting verbal abuse in the past month and more than a third of hospital doctors facing recent abuse from patients or from those accompanying them to appointments.

The BMA's appeal for people to be kind has received the backing of Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, which oversees primary, community, mental health and acute hospital services across North Wales, including Wrexham Maelor Hospital.

The health board has previously spoken out to call for understanding from the public, reminding people to please be polite and respectful when dealing with healthcare professionals who are doing their best, often in challenging circumstances.

Violence and abuse

The BMA survey was completed by more than 2400 doctors across Wales, England and Northern Ireland.

One in five GPs said they had been threatened as they went about their work, with half of doctors saying they had witnessed violence or abuse against other staff, rising to 67 per cent for GPs.

Meanwhile, hospital doctors were most likely to report abuse of nurses (87 per cent) or other doctors (65 per cent), while in general practice, 96 per cent of those who had seen colleagues face abuse said this was directed at reception staff.

And two-thirds of GPs (67 per cent) said their experience of abuse, threatening behaviour or violence had got worse in the past year.

While a number of factors were said by survey participants to be behind the incidents, 64 per cent (75 per cent GP, 54 per cent hospital) said the perpetrator was dissatisfied with the service or access to the service.

Difficult circumstances

Dr Chris Stockport, executive director of primary and community care at Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, has appealed for people to please respect GP practice staff.

He said: “Please be polite and respectful to our primary care reception staff and call handlers, who are doing their very best to help you in often difficult circumstances. We have seen a rise in abusive behaviour towards GP practice staff in recent months and this is totally unacceptable.

“There are many different healthcare professionals working within primary care who are highly capable of providing appropriate support. This can include primary care nurses, occupational therapists and physiotherapists.

“If you are offered an appointment with a primary care health professional instead of a GP, this doesn’t mean that your will get a lesser service, or that your health concern is being treated less seriously.”

Challenging time

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. 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.

“Alongside the urgent need for support for general practice and the wider NHS from Government so that we stand a chance of meeting the growing needs of our patients, we’d continue to remind the public to be kind and considerate when contacting their surgery – we are humans too, after all.”

Difficult situation

Dr Vishal Sharma, BMA consultants committee chair, said:“Doctors may pride themselves on being resilient, but that doesn’t mean they should have to put up with being abused, threatened or – in a small number of cases – physically attacked by the very people they are trying to help.

“We understand that when people interact with the health service, they are often in pain and distressed – with the Covid-19 pandemic increasing feelings of apprehension due to services working in different ways, or some treatments being delayed.

“However, we cannot let people take out their frustration at a system on individual doctors or their colleagues who truly are doing their best in the most difficult of situations. Even before the pandemic we were vastly understaffed, and abusive behaviour will drive more and more talented and experienced doctors away from the NHS at a time when we need them most.

“When these appalling incidents do happen, action of course must be taken against perpetrators. But furthermore, we urge our patients to afford the same compassion to staff that they are shown in hospital, after what has been the most horrific year of our careers.”

The BMA provides free and confidential 24/7 counselling and peer support services to all doctors and medical students regardless of BMA membership.