Criminal acts of violence in GPs ‘offices in the UK have doubled in five years, new figures reveal, as doctors’ leaders warn of a perfect storm of growing demand and staff shortages.
Police now register an average of three violent incidents in common practice each day. Staff face unprecedented attacks, abuse and aggression from patients, with surgeons struggling to cope with “unmanageable levels of demand” after years of failing to hire or retain enough GPs.
Security measures such as video surveillance, panic buttons and reception screens are now being used more by GPs, the Guardian has learned, with senior medics claiming ministers are perpetuating the myth that services are “closed”.
In 2021-22, there were 1,068 criminal incidents of violence in health centers and surgeries, according to data obtained under the BMJ’s Freedom of Information Act. Doctors have warned that officially registered crimes are just the “tip of a much, much bigger iceberg” facing health personnel.
Last night, Britain’s two top doctors condemned the wave of violence and called for urgent action to finally resolve the labor crisis.
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“It is unacceptable for GPs and their staff to be afraid and at risk of being verbally or physically abused when they work under extreme pressure and try to do everything possible for patients,” said Dr Chaand Nagpol, President of the British Medical Association. . “General practitioners’ practices face unmanageable levels of demand with 2,000 fewer general practitioners than in 2015.”
He added that it was “no surprise” that patients were struggling to get appointments due to the national “lack of capacity” and “lack of historical investment in common practice”.
In 2015, Jeremy Hunt, the then health minister, promised to hire another 5,000 general practitioners within five years – but the total fell instead of increasing. In a 2019 manifesto, the Conservatives promised to hire another 6,000 general practitioners by 2024, but Sajid Javid, the current health minister, acknowledged last November that they were unlikely to achieve their goal.
Dr Martin Marshall, chairman of the Royal College of General Practitioners, warned that a growing wave of violence could lead to more staff leaving. “The majority of patients appreciate that GPs and our teams across the country are doing their best under enormous pressure and respect our staff,” he said. “But increased levels of abuse, as shown in this report, will have a significant impact on the mental health, well-being and morale of individual physicians and practitioners.”
He added: “This, together with the intense pressure from GPs and our teams and the constant media and political review of our new ways of working after the pandemic, undoubtedly contributes to some people judging whether they are able to continue working in the pandemic. General repetition.”
BMJ sent requests for freedom of information to the 45 police forces in the United Kingdom, asking for the number of registered crimes committed in GP operations and how each crime was categorized. A total of 42 forces submitted responses, 32 of which managed to provide comparable data for the last five years.
The 32 forces registered 1,068 cases of violence in health centers and GP surgeries in 2021-22, compared to 791 in 2020-21 and 586 in 2017-18. Within these figures, there were 182 attacks that injured last year, the highest in five years and nearly double the 98 recorded in 2017-18.
The reported cases of harassment and harassment in general practitioners’ offices have tripled in almost the last five years, with 223 cases last year compared to 85 in 2017-18. Public order violations, such as threatening behavior, have also jumped by 24% last year from 438 to 541 and increased by 40% compared to five years ago (387).
Richard Van Mellarts, a general practitioner in Kingston upon Thames and executive director of the BMA’s general practice committee, said the figures were in line with the experience of first-line doctors, including his own. “In my practice, I regularly hear abuses at the reception staff, we have had to call the police several times in the last year,” he said.
He added: “Some parts of the media are of the opinion that the common practice was closed during the pandemic, which of course is the opposite of the truth. Unfortunately, this view was accepted by some people and was the driving force behind some of the aggression. This has not been adequately reversed by the government, which could take the opportunity to support the common practice more. “
Richard Vottrey, a general practitioner in Leeds and former chairman of the BMA’s GP committee, said officially registered violence crimes were just the “tip of a much, much bigger iceberg” than incidents in common practice. Employees now face “frequent daily abuse,” he said.
NHS England described the violence as “despicable” and said it “will not tolerate abuse or violence against its staff”.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Health and Welfare said: “Deliberate violence or abuse against NHS staff who continue to work tirelessly to provide care is unacceptable – all staff, including GPs and their teams, deserve to work in safe and secure environment.
“The NHS Violence Reduction Program aims to protect the workforce and ensure that violators are punished quickly and effectively, and the government has taken action to support this – including by passing legislation to double the maximum sentence for attacks on ambulance staff, including NHS staff “
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