Violence in GP surgeries driven by waiting times and drug refusals, global study shows

Violence and abuse by patients against staff in GP clinics is widespread globally and usually triggered by long waiting times and the refusal to prescribe requested drugs, research shows.

The findings are based on a 24-country study of the threats and aggression that family doctors, receptionists and other practice staff experience at work.

As many as nine out of 10 GP surgery personnel have suffered a physical or verbal assault during their career – in some cases the same proportion reported it over the previous 12 months.

The threatening behaviour can damage workers’ mental health, increase their stress levels and lead to them wanting to quit.

The research, by Shihning Chou, an associate professor of forensic psychology at the University of Nottingham, is the first to look at aggression against GP staff as a global phenomenon. She based her findings on an analysis of 50 previous studies from 24 countries, including the UK, China, Australia, Germany, Ireland, Kuwait and Barbados.

Prof Kamila Hawthorne, the chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners, which represents family doctors in the UK, said: “That incidences of abuse against GPs and our teams are so widespread – and as this research shows, not just in the UK – is extremely distressing. It’s entirely unacceptable for anyone working in general practice to be at the receiving end of abuse of any kind, when they’re just trying to do their jobs.”

Some assaults are so distressing that GPs call the police or remove perpetrators from their practice list, she added.

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Source: The Guardian, 23 September 2025