Attacks on doctors reach record level

More than a quarter of doctors have experienced an increase in violence by patients, a report reveals.

One in three hospital doctors and GPs said they had been attacked in the past 12 months - the highest recorded figure.

The study by the British Medical Association involved more than 1,000 doctors and GPs representing the 127,000 across the country.

BMA chairman James Johnson said: "No one should have to put up with the threat of physical or verbal abuse. These are people who go to work to try to alleviate pain and treat ill-health - the fact that they may be punched, kicked or shouted at cannot be tolerated."

The BMA is calling today for the Government to tackle the problem by making it compulsory for violent incidents to be recorded by hospital staff and for doctors to be trained on how to deal with aggressive patients.

One doctor said: "During a consultation, a patient suddenly jumped up and locked the surgery door, saying he was going to kill me. The panic button was difficult to reach and failed to work. The incident lasted around 25 minutes before I could obtain help."

Another doctor, who worked in a busy London casualty department, said he had been hit in the face with a mobile phone by a patient's mother. Some attackers were mentally ill or on drugs.

The doctors say that more than two thirds of attacks are never reported because many of them are resigned to being assaulted, especially in inner cities.

Of the attacks reported to police, only 33 per cent result in action. The Department of Health estimates 115,000 violent incidents were reported in the NHS during the past year.

Jim Gee, chief executive of the NHS Counter Fraud and Security Management Service, said: "NHS staff and professionals have the right to work without the fear of violence."