GPs and practice staff have been ‘targeted with abuse and violence’ during racist riots across the UK in recent days, the RCGP said while urging vigilance.
In a statement published yesterday, the college said it was ‘appalled’ at the ‘racist attacks’, and advised GP teams to ‘remain vigilant’ when travelling to and from work.
Following an attack in Southport last week, which resulted in the murder of three young girls, riots have broken out across the country with anti-immigration messaging.
The RCGP said it had heard reports of GPs and members of their team, ‘especially those from ethnic minorities’, being targeted with abuse during the riots.
Professor Kamila Hawthorne, Chair of the Royal College of GPs, said: ‘We have been shocked and appalled by the civil unrest, criminality and racist attacks we have seen across the UK in recent days.
‘We’re particularly concerned to hear reports of GPs, members of their teams and other healthcare professionals, especially those from ethnic minorities, being targeted with abuse and violence. This is horrific and completely unacceptable.’
Professor Hawthorne added that healthcare professionals deserve to be able to do their jobs without fear of being attacked or abused and that both staff and patients should be be able to travel to and from surgeries safely.
‘We advise GPs and their team members to remain vigilant, particularly when traveling to and from work. Where possible and appropriate, travel in groups, avoid known areas of unrest, and keep your mobile phones charged and accessible. We urge all healthcare professionals to report any incidents of abuse or violence to the appropriate authorities immediately.’
NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard also condemned the ‘violence, intimidation and thuggery’ of the riots, which she called a ‘flare-up of racism’.
Ms Pritchard urged managers to show in their actions that when they say the NHS has ‘zero tolerance of racism’, they ‘really mean it’.
She said the NHS staff and emergency services workers in Southport and across the country represent the ‘values that led to the creation of the NHS and have sustained it since’.
The NHS chief executive added: ‘There are other things that have sustained the NHS, too. One of them is stoicism, that great British trait of carrying on through adversity. Another, importantly, is migration – people coming from across the globe to become vital colleagues, with almost 200 nationalities represented in the NHS workforce today.’
Meanwhile, The Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scotland said there is no justification for the violence and threats levelled at doctors and has called on ‘the whole NHS leadership’ to demonstrate that all staff working in healthcare are welcome and valued.
Chief executive Chris Kenny said: ‘Healthcare workers from minority ethnic backgrounds and those who qualified overseas and are registered to practise here are part of the backbone of the NHS.
‘We stand on the side of everyone working at the frontline of healthcare. We are appalled to hear of healthcare workers being targeted with abuse and violence amidst the civil unrest and rioting in recent days.
‘The whole NHS leadership must now demonstrate that everyone working in healthcare is welcome and valued and that the anger and violence we have witnessed will not prevail.’
Parts of this article were first published by our sister title Pulse
