A storm of abuse: are threats and violence the new normal in general practice?

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By Beth Roberts

A wave of abuse and vitriol has washed over GP surgeries in the wake of the pandemic, threatening to permanently damage the relationship between doctors and the public. Can the tide be turned?

“Patients now shout at the receptionist demanding to be seen, refusing to leave the surgery, and on occasions we have to threaten to call the police,” recounts one NHS GP. “Patients say to the staff, ‘It will be your fault if I die or get worse and I will write to the GMC’.”