NI doctors call for an end to surgery abuse

The medical profession  in Northern Ireland is calling for a zero tolerance policy on abuse against doctors after a report published this week finds violence is on the rise.

According to the British Medical Association in Northern Ireland (BMA(NI)),  half of doctors who took part in a survey had been assaulted, threatened or verbally abused in the past year.

The BMA(NI) is now asking patients and their families to respect doctors and stop abusing the people who are trying to help them.

Chairman of the BMA’s Council in Northern Ireland, Dr Paul Darragh has experienced violence from patients in the past and says that it ‘cannot be allowed to continue.’

Doctors in the survey told him that violence in the A&E department was a particular problem, but also more than 60 per cent of violence and abusive incidents happened in hospital wards.
 
He said: “The findings of this survey are incredibly worrying for the medical profession. The abuse is often random, with no particular motivation behind the physical violence. The effect of threats, abuse and assaults impact not only on doctors on the receiving end, but also the wider healthcare team and other patients.”

The BMA(NI) is now calling for patients with a violent history to have a warning marker placed on their health record after the report revealed that many incidents took place with a person who had a history of violence,

Belfast GP Dr Michael McKenna, who has been attacked several times, said that many of his work colleagues have had to take precautions including installing panic buttons to protect themselves from violent patients.

He said: one of the best tools available for family doctors is the fact that there is a protocol in place to move violent patients to a different GP surgery, with appropriate facilities for treatment, which ensures that a patient will still receive treatment.

“This results in less risk to all staff in the surgery, including the receptionists and nurses.”