There have been “derogatory verbal attacks” and “racist comments” towards employees at Standish Medical Practice. And patients have been warned they could be removed from the practice’s register. A post on the surgery’s Facebook page said: “We've had a number of significantly abusive incidents at the practice this week – instances of derogatory verbal attacks directed towards our reception team at the front desk, on the telephones, and racist comments made towards clinicians and healthcare staff.
"We are really distressed as a team to have witnessed this level of abuse towards us when we are only doing our best to assist. Such instances will be investigated and dealt with, and this may mean removal from our practice register for those individuals. "We are fully aware that times are immensely difficult and that the healthcare system is extremely difficult to navigate – but please remember that we are human beings too, and we are working in an extremely pressured environment.
We do our jobs because we want to help our patients. "Thank you to the vast majority of our patients who treat our team with the respect and dignity that they deserve.” It is not the first time staff at the practice have spoken out, with a rise in verbal abuse reported in March .
Partner Dr Nadia Ghalayini revealed the verbal and online abuse faced by staff in January 2023 as they struggled to cope with an increasing number of patients. Last week, health secretary Wes Streeting said people who are racist to NHS staff in health settings “can and should” be turned away from care. It followed an attack on two Filipino nurses as they travelled to work during unrest in Sunderland in the aftermath of the Southport stabbings.
He said: “I will not tolerate, under any circumstances, NHS or social care staff in any health or care setting being subjected to intimidation, harassment or racist abuse. “We have a zero tolerance policy in the NHS and we’ll take a zero tolerance approach in social care too. “ People who are abusing NHS staff can be turned away, and should be turned away, if that is the way that they are treating our staff.
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