‘If I Die It Will Be Your Fault’ – Campaign To End Abuse From Patients!

Posted on May 21st, 2021

If I die, it will be your fault,” is just one of the many abusive comments heard by GP reception staff throughout the UK. The survey of 571 practice managers, revealed more than 75% of staff suffer daily abuse from patients.

With the majority (78%) facing threatening behaviour, racist or sexist abuse from patients, and 83% reporting having called the police for help, today the Institute of General Practice Management (IGPM) launch their campaign to end all abuse towards general practice staff.

This impactful video contains real-life examples of patient interactions from practices across the UK. These include:

• GP staff whose tyres were slashed by a patient who had not been able to get an appointment that day;
• A receptionist with Chinese heritage, who received racist abuse and was spat on in relation to the Covid-19 virus;
• Daily verbal threats including the common phrase: “If I die, it will be your fault”.

The survey  showed that 83% have had to remove a patient from the surgery due to multiple incidents towards their team. Much abuse goes unreported and national annual data on physical assaults against NHS staff are no longer published. The ‘If I die it will be your fault’ campaign aims to raise awareness of the zero-tolerance approach to abuse and encourage all practice staff to feel confident about reporting incidents.

The campaign video can be found here, with practices up and down the country joining forces to share the message that abuse towards practice staff must stop.