Abuse in General Practice Toolkit
Abuse: Not in a day's work
Yesterday (15 November), the CCG launched a Kent and Medway system-wide campaign aimed at reducing the level of abuse faced by NHS staff.
The campaign, called "Not in a day’s work", includes an open letter signed by Kent Local Medical Committee and all acute, community and mental health trusts, as well as SECAmb. This has been posted on websites across the NHS in Kent and Medway and on social media.
In the letter, people are asked to be kind to NHS staff and recognise they are there to help, not be abused.
The campaign is accompanied by printed materials and social media and digital assets, which can be downloaded here.
It uses real voices from NHS professions from across the county, including staff from hospitals, community and mental health settings and GP practices to highlight the damage that abuse – both verbal and physical – can have.
Protecting yourself online
The BMA have also launched a toolkit for GPs, which covers:
- practical steps to deal with online abuse and harassment
- how to report abuse to social media platform providers
- guidance on refusing to treat abusive patients
- how and when to involve the police.
Doctors may also wish to access the BMA's wellbeing services