New figures show that criminal acts of violence in GP surgeries across the UK have almost doubled in five years, as doctors’ leaders warn of a perfect storm of growing demand and staff shortages .
Police now record an average of three violent incidents each day in general offices. Staff face unprecedented assaults, abuse and assaults by patients, with surgeries struggling to cope with “uncontrollable levels of demand” after years of not recruiting or retaining enough family doctors.
Security measures such as CCTV, panic buttons and reception screens are increasingly being implemented in GP surgeries, according to The Guardian, and senior doctors claim that ministers perpetuate the myth that services are “closed”.
In 2021-22, there were 1,068 violent incidents of violence in health centers and surgeries, according to figures obtained under the freedom of information laws by the BMJ. Doctors warned that officially recorded crimes were just “the tip of a much, much bigger iceberg” facing medical staff.
Last night, the two largest doctors in the UK condemned the wave of violence and called for urgent action to finally resolve the labor crisis.
Guardian Graph
“It is unacceptable for GPs and their staff to be afraid and at risk of physical or verbal abuse, when they work in the midst of exceptional pressures and strive to do everything possible for patients,” said Dr. Chaand. Nagpaul, President of the British Medical Association. “GP practices are facing uncontrollable demand levels with 2,000 GPs less than in 2015.”
He added that he was “not surprised” that patients had trouble getting appointments due to national “lack of capacity” and “lack of historical investment in general practice”.
In 2015, then-Secretary of Health Jeremy Hunt pledged to hire 5,000 more GPs in five years, but the total went down instead of up. In its 2019 manifesto, the Conservatives promised to recruit 6,000 more GPs by 2024, but Sajid Javid, the current health secretary, admitted last November that they were unlikely to achieve their goal.
Dr. Martin Marshall, president of the Royal College of GPs, warned that the rising tide of violence could lead to more staff leaving. “The vast majority of patients appreciate that GPs and our teams across the country are doing the best we can under immense pressure and treat our staff with respect,” he said. “But rising levels of abuse, as shown in this report, will have a significant impact on the mental health, well-being and morale of doctors and practice staff.”
He added: “This, coupled with intense pressures from GPs and our teams, and the sustained political and media scrutiny of our new ways of working since the pandemic, are certainly contributing to some people assess whether they can continue to work in general practice ”.
The 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 the GP’s consultations and how each crime was classified. A total of 42 forces submitted responses, 32 of which were able to provide comparable data from the last five years.
The 32 bodies recorded 1,068 incidents of violence in health centers and GP consultations in 2021-22, compared to 791 in 2020-21 and 586 in 2017-18. Among those figures, last year there were 182 assaults with injuries, the highest in five years and almost double the 98 recorded in 2017-18.
Incidents of harassment and harassment at the GP’s office have almost tripled in the last five years, with 223 cases last year compared to 85 in 2017-18. Crimes against law and order and threatening behavior also increased by 24% last year, from 438 to 541, and increased by 40% from five years ago (387).
Richard Van Mellaerts, a GP in Kingston upon Thames and chief executive officer of the BMA GP Committee, said the figures match the experiences of top doctors, including his own. “In my practice I usually hear abuse directed at reception staff, we have had to call the police several times over the last year,” he said.
He added: “Some sections of the media have taken the view that the general practice was closed during the pandemic, which is, of course, the opposite of the truth. Unfortunately, this view has been taken by some people, and this “This has been the driving force behind some of the attacks. This has not been properly revoked by the government, which could have seized the opportunity to further support the general practice.”
Richard Vautrey, a Leeds GP and former chairman of the BMA GP Committee, said that officially recorded violent crimes were just “the tip of a much, much bigger iceberg” of the incidents. produce in general practice. Staff now face “often daily abuse,” he said.
NHS England described the violence as “deplorable” and said it would “not tolerate abuse or violence against its staff”.
A spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Welfare said: “Deliberate violence or abuse by NHS staff, who continue to work tirelessly to provide care, is unacceptable: all staff, including GPs and their staff , deserve to work in a safe and secure environment.
“The NHS’s violence reduction program aims to protect the workforce and ensure that criminals are punished quickly and effectively, and the government has taken steps to support it, including passing laws. to double the maximum penalty for assaulting emergency workers, including those in the NHS. ”